PUBLICATIONS 

OF    THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


AMERICANA  GERMANICA 

MONOGRAPHS  DEVOTED  TO  THE  COMPARATIVE 
STUDY  OF  THE 

Literary,  Linguistic  and  Other  Cultural  Relations 

OF 

Germany  and  America 

EDITOR 

MARION    DEXTER    LEARNED 

University  of  Pennsylvania 

(See  List  at  the  End  of  the  Book] 


NEW  YORK 
D.  APPLETON  £  COMPANY 

PUBLISHING    AGENTS 


JOURNAL 


OF 


Du  Roi  THE  ELDER 


LIEUTENANT  AND  ADJUTANT,  IN   THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  DUKE  OF 
BRUNSWICK,  1776-1778. 


Translated  from  the  Original  German  Manuscript  in  the  Library  of  Congress, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

BY 

CHARLOTTE  S.  J.  EPPING. 


Am*rtratta  (Sbrmattira 

No.  15 


UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 

D.  APPLETON  &  Co.,  AGENTS,  NEW  YORK 

1911 


COPYRIGHT  1911 

BV 

M.  D.  LEARNED 


PREFACE. 

This  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  has  been  found  in  one 
manuscript  only,  that  now  is  in  the  possession  of  the  Library  of 
Congress.  The  translation  has  been  made,  and  is  here  published 
by  the  permission  of  Dr.  Herbert  Putnam,  the  Librarian  of  Con 
gress,  and  of  Dr.  Hunt,  Chief  of  the  Manuscript  Department, 
and  at  the  instance  of  Dr.  Joseph  G.  Rosengarten,  of  Philadelphia. 

The  names  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  and  Du  Roi  the  Younger, 
which  seem  to  have  escaped  many  of  the  compilers  of  the  lists  of 
the  officers  in  the  English  service  in  America  during  the  Ameri 
can  Revolution,  appear  in  the  lists  of  this  journal. 

The  journal  contains  much  valuable  information,  as  Du  Roi 
was  an  exceptionally  close  observer  and  did  not,  like  many  of 
the  diarists  of  that  period,  fill  up  his  pages  with  irrelevant  mat 
ter.  The  observations  on  the  flora  and  fauna  of  Canada  will 
doubtless  prove  interesting  to  students  in  those  fields,  and  the 
English  portion  at  the  close  of  the  journal,  besides  furnishing 
valuable  details,  will  serve  as  a  curious  example  of  the  English 
employed  by  the  German  officers.  The  photographic  reproduction 
of  the  first  page  of  the  journal  and  of  the  plan  of  battle  at  Albany 

will  be  self  explanatory. 

M.  D.  LEARNED. 


FIRST  PAGE  OF  THE  JOURNAL  OF  DU  RO!  THE  ELDER. 
(Slightly  Reduced) 


JOURNAL  OF  DU  ROI  THE  ELDER, 
LIEUTENANT  AND  ADJUTANT, 

In  the  Service  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick. 

1776-1777. 

(Cf.  Schlozer's  V crtrauliche  Brief  e  aus  Kanada  und  Neuengland 

vom  Jahre  1777  und  1778  aus  dem  Brief  we  chsel, 

Hefte  23  and  24). 

Translated  from  the  Original  German  Manuscript  in  the  Library 
of  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C. 

by  Charlotte  S.  J.  Epping. 
VOLUME  I. 

The  rebellious  revolt  of  the  English  Colonies  in  America, 
which  for  some  years  had  particularly  prevailed  in  the  provinces 
of  New  England,  New  Hampshire,  Maryland,  Pennsylvania  and 
New  York,  the  Jerseys  and  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  which 
was  aroused  through  the  introduction  of  a  tax  and  stamp  act, 
made  it  necessary  (all  negotiations  having  failed)  for  the 
crown  of  England,  the  mother  of  these  provinces,  to  send  an 
army  to  America  to  force  these  rebellious  subjects  to  lay  down 
their  arms.  But  since  it  was  impossible  for  England  on  account 
of  her  politics  to  deprive  herself  of  so  many  soldiers,  a  resolution 
was  passed  in  parliament  to  engage  auxiliary  troops  in  Germany 
for  service  in  America.  The  English  Colonel  Faucit,  who  was 
at  the  time  in  Hanover,  received  orders  to  ask  at  the  courts  of 
Brunswick  and  Hesse-Cassel  for  a  corps  of  subsidiaries.  This 
request  was  granted  by  Hesse-Cassel  with  12,000  and  by  Bruns 
wick  with  4300  men  to  enter  service  under  the  crown  of  England. 
These  negotiations  took  place  about  the  middle  of  December, 
1775,  and  in  the  beginning  of  January,  1776,  the  4300  men  from 
Brunswick  received  orders  to  prepare  for  the  march. 

The  following  regiments  were  assigned  for  this  duty  under 
the  command  of  General  von  Riedesel : 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 


Number          Number  of 

of  men  in       Names  of  the  Commanders 

Companies,      a  Regiment.  and  Staff  Officers. 


4  Esquad     336 


564 
680 

680 
680 
680 
658 

22 


General  v.  Riedesel,  Lieut.- 
Col.  Baum,  Major  v. 
Meybom. 

Lieut.-Col.  Breymann. 

Lieut.-Col.  Praetorius,  Ma 
jor  von  Hille. 

Lieut.-Col.  v.  Ehrenkroock, 
Major  von  Lucke. 

Lieut.-Col.  v.  Spaeth,  Major 
von  Mengen. 

Col.  Specht,  Major  von  Eh 
renkroock. 

Major  von  Baerner. 


Regiments. 

1.  Prince  Ludewig  Dragoons 

2.  Grenadier   Bataillon 

3.  Prince  Friedrich  Durchl. 

4.  Gen.  Maj.  v.  Rhetz 

5.  Gen.  Maj.  v.  Riedesel 

6.  Col.  Specht 

7.  Chasseur-Battaillon 
Also  Staff 

Total  33  4300  men 

Reg.  3,  4,  5,  6  are  designated  as  "Mousquetier"  Reg. 
Reg.  7  "Leichte  Infanterie." 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  time  it  was  impossible,  however,  to 
let  all  these  troops  start  at  the  same  time,  and  it  was  decided  to 
send  them  in  two  divisions.  The  first  division  was  to  consist  of 
(i)  the  Dragoons,  (2)  the  Grenadiers,  (3)  the  Regiment  Prince 
Friedrich,  (4)  the  Regiment  v.  Riedesel.  The  rest  of  the  troops 
were  to  form  a  second  division,  which  was  to  follow  later  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Specht. 

On  February  6,  1776,  the  regiments  of  the  first  division 
(with  the  exception  of  the  Grenadiers,  who  were  stationed  in 
Brunswick),  were  mustered  in  the  court  of  the  castle  in  Wolfen- 
biittel  so  that  it  might  be  ascertained  whether  the  ranks  were  full 
and  equipment  in  good  condition.  After  the  field-chaplain  had 
delivered  a  sermon  and  the  auditor  had  read  aloud  the  articles  of 
war,  the  regiments  took  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

The  day  of  departure  was  fixed  for  the  I5th  of  February. 
The  troops  started  on  this  day,  but  had  scarcely  been  gone  an 
hour  when  a  courier  arrived  with  the  news  that  the  transport 
ships  were  not  expected  in  Stade  for  some  weeks.  The  troops 
therefore  returned  toward  noon  to  their  quarters.  This  was 
sufficient  reason  for  delaying  the  departure  another  week. 

FEBRUARY  22. — The  22d  day  of  February,  1176,  was  the 
day  on  which  at  6  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  first  section  of  the 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 


Brunswick  auxiliaries  started  from  Wolfenbuttel;  they  passed 
the  city  of  Brunswick  on  their  right  at  noon  and  arrived  on  the 
same  day  in  the  duchy  of  Liineburg.  The  troops  marched 
through  Hanover  receiving  supplies  as  they  went.  Each  portion 
of  the  daily  rations  was  to  be  paid  for  with  2  ggl.  During  the 
march  the  commissaries  for  Hanover  were  Major  von  Malorti 
and  Bailiff  Meyer,  and  for  Brunswick  Colonel  von  Hoym. 

Since  I  belong  to  the  regiment  of  His  Royal  Highness, 
Prince  Friedrich,  I  shall  be  obliged,  often  for  lack  of  informa 
tion,  to  restrict  the  notes  of  my  account  to  this  regiment;  never 
theless,  as  time  and  circumstances  may  demand,  I  shall  try  as 
much  as  time  and  circumstances  allow,  to  write  all  I  can  about 
the  whole  body  of  troops. 

My  regiment  (Prince  Friedrich)  spent  the  night  in  the 
county  of  Gifhorn,  and  the  companies  were  quartered  in  the  fol 
lowing  villages : 


22.  Febr. 


in  Kethem 


23.  Febr. 


in  Ahnebiittel 

feld 
Headquarters  in  Leiferde. 

Headquarters  in  Gifhorn. 

Amt        Gamessen 
Gifhorn 


Regimental  Staff.  I.  G.  M.  v.  Stammer 
Company.  2.  Lieut.-Col.  Praetorius 
Comp.  3.  Capt.  v.  Tunderfeld  l/2 
Comp. 

i.  Major  v.  Hille  Company.  2.  Captain 
Dieterich's  Comp.  3.  Capt.  v.  Tunder- 


Wilshe 
Headquarters  in  Hankensbuttel. 


Comp. 


Regim.  Staff,  i.  G.  M.  v.  Stam 
mer.  2.  Lieut-Col.  Praetorius. 
3.  Major  v.  Hille.  4.  Capt.  v. 
Tunderfeld  Company. 

i.  Capt.  Diterich's  Company. 


24.  Febr. 


25.  Febr. 


26.  Febr. 


Sprakenseel 
Amt        Langwedel 
Gifhorn      Oehrel 

Steinecke 
Betzhorn 

Day  of  rest.     Same  quarters. 

Headquarters  in  Wrestedt. 

in 

Stadensen 

Amt      29  camP  kitchens 
Bodenteich 

Wrestedt 


Regim.  Staff  and  Lieut.-Col.  Prae 
torius  Company. 
Gen.  Maj.  v.   Stammer  Comp. 
Gen.  Maj.  v.  Hille  Company. 
Capt.  Diterichs. 
Capt.  v.  Tunderfeld. 


Regim.  Staff.  I.  Lieut-Col.  Prae 
torius.  2.  Major  von  Hille.  3. 
Captain  von  Tunderfeld  Com 
pany. 

i.  Gen.  Major  v.  Stammer  and 


20  camp  kitchens  2.  Captain  Diterichs  Company. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 


Headquarters  in  Ebsdorf. 


27.  Febr. 


28.  Febr. 


i.  March 


2.  March 


3.  March 


4.  March 


Cloister 
Ebsdorf 


in  the 
Flecken  Ebsdorf 


Old  Ebsdorf 


Regim.  Staff.  i.  Gen.  Maj.  v. 
Stammer.  2.  Lieut.-Col.  Prae- 
torius.  3.  Capt.  v.  Tunderfeld  y2 
Company. 

i.  Major  von  Hille.  2.  Capt.  Dit 
erichs.  3.  Capt.  v.  Tunderfeld 
l/2  Company. 


Headquarters  in  Amelinghausen. 


Amt 
Wimfen 
on  the 
Luhe 


Sottorf 

9  camp  kitchens 

Etzen 

4  camp  kitchens 
Rehlingen 

9  camp  kitchens 
D  eh  mis  en 

5  camp  kitchens 


Regim.  Staff,  i.  Lieut-Col.  Prae 
torius.  2.  G.  M.  v.  Stammer,  l/2 
Comp. 

Major  von  Hille  Company. 

i.  Capt.  Diterichs  and  G.  M.  von 

Stammer  l/2   Company. 
Captain     von 

pany. 


Tunderfeld    Com- 


29.  Febr.          Day  of  Rest. 


Headquarters  in  Ramsloh. 

Marxen 

1 7  camp  kitchens 

Ahsendorf 

28  camp  kitchens 


Amt 
Wimfen 
on  the 
Luhe 


Headquarters  in  Haarburg. 

Meklenfelde 
35  camp  kitchens 

Wilstorf 

23  camp  kitchens 
Ronneburg 

24  camp  kitchens 


Amt 
Haarburg 


Regim.  Staff,  i.  G.  M.  von  Stam 
mer.  2.  Lieut.Col.  Praetorius. 
3.  Capt.  Diterichs  Company. 

i.  Major  von  Hille.  2.  Capt.  von 
Tunderfeld  Comp. 


Regim.  Staff,  i.  G.  M.  v.  Stam 
mer.  2.  Lieut.-Col.  Praetorius 
Company. 

i.  Major  von  Hille  Company.  2. 
Capt.  von  Tunderfeld. 

I.  Capt.   Diterichs  Company. 


Headquarters   in   Buxtehude,  where  the   Dragoons   and   Gren 
adiers  had  quarters. 


Elstorf 

21  camp  kitchens 
Darrstorf 
9  camp  kitchens 
Amt       Schwiederstorf 
Moseburg    12  camp  kitchens 
Arresdorf 
8  camp  kitchens 
Wulmsdorf 
15  camp  kitchens 

Day  of  Rest. 


Regim.    Staff.      Lieut.-Col.    Prae 
torius  Comp. 

Major  von  Hille 
G.  M.  von  Stammer. 
Capt.  Diterichs. 
Capt.  v.  Tunderfeld. 


MARCH  5TH. — The  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  arrived  in 
Buxtehude  toward  noon,  the  staff,  the  dragoons  and  the  grena 
diers  having  marched  towards  Stade  in  the  morning. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  5 

Buxtehude  is  a  small  town  which  is  surrounded  by  the  river 
Kite.  It  has  three  gates.  The  streets  are  regular,  but  the  style 
of  the  houses  is  quaint. 

MARCH  STH. — The  regiment  was  mustered  out  before  the 

—  gate  by  Col.  Faucit  and  taken  into  English  service,  after 
which  they  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king  of  England. 

MARCH  I4TH. — The  regiment  marched  with  the  regiment 
von  Riedesel,  which  had  been  stationed  in  Horneburg,  to  Stade 
to  embark  there.  On  the  previous  day,  March  I3th,  the  Dra 
goons  and  Grenadiers  had  embarked. 

MARCH  I5TH. — Four  companies  of  the  regiment  v.  Riedesel 
embarked. 

MARCH  I/TH. — At  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  regiment 
Prince  Friedrich  and  Major  von  Mengen's  company  of  the  regi 
ment  v.  Riedesel  were  put  on  "Evers"  (small  boats  with  only 
one  mast)  and  taken  down  the  Schwinge  to  the  Elbe,  to  the 
transport  ships  and  embarked.  The  departure  from  Stade  was 
attended  with  music  and  jubilant  shouts  of  the  soldiers.  The 
English  transports  were  anchored  in  the  Elbe  near  the  village 
Brunshausen,  about  one-half  mile  from  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Schwinge. 

MARCH  i8xH. — The  horses  of  the  staff  officers  and  ad 
jutants  were  put  on  board  ship.  The  ship  "Martha,"  which  was 
appointed  for  them,  did  not  differ  in  its  structure  from  the  other 
transports  neither  inside  nor  outside.  The  only  difference  was 
that  the  floor  of  the  ship  was  covered  with  coarse  sand,  on  which 
the  horses  were  to  stand  in  small  apartments  as  in  a  stable,  but 
very  narrow  and  padded.  Formerly  they  used  to  hang  up  the 
horses  in  straps  when  crossing  the  ocean.  Now,  when  the  sea  is 
very  rough,  broad  straps  are  put  under  the  horses  to  support 
them;  an  invention  which  has  recently  been  made.  The  horses 
were  brought  to  the  ship  from  Stade  in  "Evers,"  from  which 
they  were  hauled  out  to  the  transort  by  a  pulley.  One  of  the 
best  and  newest  ships  not  so  liable  to  roll  had  been  selected  for 
the  transportation  of  the  horses.  In  the  nautical  language  of  the 
English  such  a  ship  is  called  "a  good  seaboat."  To  prevent  the 
rolling  of  a  ship,  the  keel  must  be  made  with  a  very  sharp  edge 


6  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

and  must  reach  deep  down  into  the  water.  This  way  of  building 
ships  is  peculiar  to  the  English  people,  who  are  greater  experts 
in  ship  building  than  any  other  nation  and  who  with  great  pre 
caution  put  their  theories  to  practical  use.  For  this  reason  they 
are  able  to  sail  much  faster  and  to  make  the  necessary  move 
ments  much  more  rapidly.  The  Dutch  vary  the  most  from  this 
style.  They  make  the  bottom  of  the  ship  more  round,  on  little 
vessels  even  flat,  and  say  that  this  kind  of  ship  can  go  farther  up 
stream  without  danger,  which  is  very  true,  if  all  other  advantages 
are  to  be  passed  over.  An  English  boat,  which  goes  too  far  up 
stream,  runs  the  risk  of  going  aground  when  the  tide  is  low  and 
of  turning  on  its  side.  Also  it  has  to  be  loaded  and  unloaded 
with  much  more  precaution.  Furthermore,  the  Dutch  ships  are 
altogether  broader  in  the  stern  and  narrower  in  the  bowsprit. 
The  English,  on  the  other  hand,  make  the  front  part  of  the  vessel 
broader  than  the  rear  part,  and  this  from  mature  expeirence, 
taken  from  nature.  They  have  made  use  of  the  fact  that  the 
fish,  that  is  the  dolphin,  which  can  swim  the  fastest,  has  been 
equipped  by  nature  with  a  big  head  in  proprotion  to  the  breadth 
of  his  body.  As  the  water  is  driven  by  the  front  part  of  the  ship 
out  of  the  space  which  it  previously  occupied,  a  whirling  move 
ment  is  produced  in  the  water  as  it  rushes  in  from  two  sides. 
This  whirlpool  gets  bigger  and  bigger  and  would  hinder  the  ship 
in  its  forward  course  if  the  stern  of  the  ship  were  not  narrower. 
I  have  made  observations  in  this  line  and  have  found  that  this 
opinion  is  well  founded. 

Each  fleet  has  its  agent,  who  has  to  look  after  the  provisions 
and  everything  else  necessary  for  the  soldiers  on  the  transport, 
and  he  gives  the  necessary  orders  in  this  respect  to  the  masters 
of  the  ships.  Our  agent  was  Ship  Lieutenant  Haynes;  he  was 
on  board  the  "Pallas." 

The  first  division  of  the  Brunswick  troops  was  placed  on 
sixteen  ships,  including  the  ship  with  the  horses,  and  the  regi 
ments  and  companies  were  divided  as  follows : 


Journal  of  Dii  Roi  the  Elder 


Prince  Ludewig  Dra- 
goner  Regiment  em 
bark.  13.  Mart  at 
Stade. 

1776 


Srenadier 

Battaill. 

emb.  13. 

Mar.    at 

Stade. 


Grenadier  Bat 
taill.  embark. 
13.  March 
1776,  at  Stade. 


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Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 


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Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  9 

All  these  vessels  had  three  masts  with  the  exception  of  the 
"Royal  Briton,"  which  had  only  two.  The  ship  "Prince  of 
Wales,"  on  which  I  sailed,  was  next  to  the  "Harmony"  the  big 
gest  of  the  transports,  which  fact  can  be  seen  from  the  number  of 
tons  mentioned  above.  We  had  6  six-pound  cannons;  two  of 
the  largest  were  placed  in  the  cabin.  The  length  of  the  ship  was 
1000  Engl.  feet,  and  the  breadth  28  feet.  The  ship  was  built 
twenty-eight  years  ago  and  cost  then  5000  pounds  sterling.  Fif 
teen  years  ago  repairs  were  made  amounting  to  2600  pounds 
sterling.  The  king  pays  250  pounds  sterling  rent  per  month  for 
the  ship  (1500  Reichsthaler  Brunswick  currency),  and  this  money 
is  used  to  pay  and  keep  the  captain,  the  pilot  and  the  sailors.  All 
provisions  for  the  soldiers,  however,  are  furnished  by  the  com 
missary  store-houses  ("royal  magazines")  as  well  as  the  beds 
and  blankets. 

To  a  ship  of  this  kind  generally  twenty  to  twenty-five  sailors 
are  assigned ;  on  men-of-war  the  requisite  number  of  men  is  much 
larger,  so  that  the  sailors  do  not  get  as  much  pay  as  on  a  mer 
chantman.  But  they  get  pensions  when  old  and  the  king  pro 
vides  for  the  disabled  and  pays  their  expenses  during  sickness, 
which  privileges  the  sailors  on  merchantmen  do  not  enjoy. 

A  sailor  on  a  merchantman  receives  50  shs.  (15  Reichsthaler 
Brunswick  currency)  a  month,  besides  daily  rations  for  meat, 
beer,  brandy  and  other  provisions  in  abundance.  The  first  mate 
receives  4  to  5  guineas  per  month  and  board. 

The  work  of  the  sailors  is  just  as  hard  as  the  pay  is  good. 
The  captain  keeps  them  continuously  at  work,  of  which  there  is 
plenty  on  a  vessel,  even  when  the  weather  is  good,  and  when  the 
sea  is  rough  and  the  wind  high  it  is  incredible  how  they  must 
work,  often  for  days  and  nights  in  succession  if  circumstances  or 
danger  demand  it. 

Although  it  is  against  the  law  for  the  captain  of  an  English 
merchantman  to  beat  or  punish  his  sailors,  his  orders  are  always 
obeyed  in  the  quickest  possible  way  and  nobody  dares  to  be  insub 
ordinate  on  the  ship.  In  case  such  a  thing  should  happen,  the 
captain  delivers  the  culprit  over  to  the  next  man-of-war  they 
meet,  with  a  memorandum,  because  the  royal  officers  only  have 
the  right  to  punish.  On  the  man-of-war  the  man  is  undressed, 


io  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

bound  to  the  mast  and  whipped  very  hard  even  for  the  smallest 
misdeeds. 

The  cabin-boys,  however,  are  punished  by  the  captain  or  the 
first  mate  at  will.  This  happens  almost  daily  and  these  per 
formances  are  often  very  comical. 

Every  sailor  gets,  when  taken  on  board  the  ship,  a  printed 
copy  of  instructions  decided  upon  by  an  act  of  Parliament.  Offi 
cers  of  the  ship  are  the  captain,  the  pilot  and  his  mate,  the  stew 
ard,  the  cook  and  the  boatswain. 

The  name  of  our  captain  was  George  Prissick,  a  man  of 
honorable,  upright  character,  full  of  life,  who  had  been  on  the 
sea  for  forty  years,  and  had  seen  the  world  in  his  youth,  had 
gathered  knowledge,  had  thought  and  read  a  good  deal  and 
looked  at  life  from  the  right  point  of  view.  He  did  not  have  the 
coarse  character  common  to  other  seamen,  and  possessed  of  all 
the  qualities  of  his  nation  only  the  good  ones.  His  behavior  to 
wards  us  soon  won  our  friendship,  and  his  attention  to  our  men 
gained  him  the  respect  of  the  soldiers,  who  looked  upon  him  as 
a  father.  He  had  given  up  seafaring,  was  a  man  of  means  and 
married,  and  living  happily  with  his  family.  He  had  undertaken 
this  journey,  against  the  wishes  of  his  wife,  out  of  gratitude  to 
an  old  friend,  because  no  one  else  could  be  found  who  would 
undertake  the  trip  on  such  an  old  dilapidated  ship  as  ours. 

Not  friendship  alone  for  this  man  demanded  this  descrip 
tion  of  him,  but  it  will  be  necessary  to  be  able  to  judge  him 
rightly,  if  in  the  course  of  my  narrative,  I  should  mention  some 
experiences,  as  they  are  taken  from  his  accounts,  which  would 
then  seem  so  much  more  credible. 

MARCH  IQTH. — On  this  date  pilots  were  taken  on  each  ship 
to  guide  the  fleet  out  of  the  Elbe.  This  is  a  necessity,  the  river, 
being  full  of  sand  banks,  although  the  channel  is  marked  with 
white  buoys  on  one  side  and  black  buoys  on  the  other,  yet  there 
are  places  where  the  constant  experience  of  the  pilot  is  necessary. 

Although  the  wind  on  this  day  was  not  favorable,  blowing 
from  the  west  towards  the  north,  the  following  ten  ships  un 
furled  the  sails  and  lifted  anchor  toward  one  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon:  "Minerva,"  "Union,"  "James  and  John,"  "Laurie,"  "Royal 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 


ii 


Briton,"  "Apollo,"  "Prince  of  Walls,"  "Lord  Sandwich,"  "Har 
mony"  and  "Polly."  They  went  down  the  Elbe,  past  Gliick- 
stadt  to  Freyburg,  where  at  half -past  four  o'clock  the  anchors 
were  dropped  again. 

The  other  six  ships:  "Pallas",  "Providence",  "Peggy", 
"Nancy",  "Elisabeth"  and  "Martha"  had  remained  before 
Brunshausen  near  Stade. 

The  night  commenced  with  heavy  rains  and  wind,  and  for 
a  first  trial  of  the  voyage,  the  rolling  and  tossing  of  the  vessel 
proved  too  much.  The  captain  had  to  cast  a  second  anchor,  and 
if  we  had  been  out  at  sea,  we  might  have  been  justified  in  calling 
it  a  heavy  storm.  On  account  of  the  rolling  of  the  ship,  which 
lasted  the  whole  night  until  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the 
sun  came  out,  many  of  our  soldiers  became  seasick,  of  which  I, 
for  this  time,  was  entirely  free. 

MARCH  2OTH. — The  wind  blew  from  the  north  and  was 
against  us  all  day  long.  We,  therefore,  had  to  remain  anchored, 
and  the  six  ships  which  had  stayed  behind,  could  not  follow  us. 

MARCH  21  ST. — In  the  evening  towards  7  o'clock  the  ships 
which  had  remained  at  Brunshausen  arrived  and  cast  anchor  near 
us. 

The  daily  rations  of  the  soldiers  on  the  ship,  with  which  they 
are  supplied  by  the  steward  every  morning  in  the  presence  of  ar 
officer,  are  as  follows : 

Wochentliche  Verpflegung  der  Soldaten  auf  den  Schiffen  a  6 
Mann  gerechnet. 

Htilsen-     Haber- 


auf  den 


Brod 


Bier      Rlndfleish  und 
Quar-  Mehl  zum  Pudding 


Schweine-  Butter 

fleisch  und   Kase 

Ib.  Ib. 


Ib.  Butter 
Ib.  Kase 


y2  Ib.  Butter 
J4  Ib.  Kase 
2 

y2  Ib.  Butter 
%  Ib.  Kase 
h 
1 

:r 

i  Ib.  Rosinen 
i  Quartier  Weinessig  wochentlich  auf  6  Mann. 


friichte 
Erbsen 


Ib. 

tier. 

Ib. 

Sontag   

4 

12 

Montag    

4 

12 

Dienstag    .  .  . 

4 

12 

2  Ib.  Rindfleisch 
6  Ib.  fein  Mehl 
i  Ib.  Fett  oder 
i  Ib.  Rosinen 

Mittwochen  . 

4 

12 

Donnerstag  . 

4 

12 

Freytag    

4 

12 

Sonnabend    . 

4 

12 

2  Ib.  Rindfleish 
6  Ib.  fein  Mehl 
T   lh.   Fett  oder 

grutze 

Oder 

Relss 

Maass 


12  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

For  these  provisions  three  pence  English  money  have  to  be 
paid  daily  for  each  portion,  and  the  sum  is  subtracted  from  the 
pay  of  the  soldiers;  officers  are  also  allowed  the  same  rations 
without  paying  more  for  them.  The  king  also  provides  for  the 
soldiers'  wives  during  the  trip  on  the  ocean.  The  receipts  for 
these  provisions  are  put  on  the  bills,  but  the  companies  do  not 
have  to  pay  for  the  same.  However,  as  soon  as  the  troops  land, 
even  this  privilege  is  no  longer  granted. 

All  the  provisions  are  furnished  to  the  ships  from  the  Royal 
Storehouses  or  ''Magazines,"  and  the  king  has  to  add  one  shilling 
at  least  for  each  portion  daily.  The  bread  consists,  as  everybody 
knows,  of  ship-buiscuits,  made  of  wheat  and  baked  very  hard  into 
small  round  cakes.  It  requires  good  teeth  to  eat  them,  but  you 
soon  get  used  to  it  and  like  them  very  well.  About  eighteen  to 
nineteen  pieces  make  four  pounds. 

The  beer  is  English  small  beer  made  out  of  hops,  and  is  pure 
and  palatable.  When  the  beer  gives  out,  one  quart  of  rum  to  be 
mixed  with  water,  or  two  quarts  of  wine  for  six  men,  takes  the 
place.  Since  the  rations  are  always  calculated  for  six  men,  the 
companies  have  to  be  divided  into  sections  of  six  men  each  in 
cluding  the  women.  Each  of  these  sections  receives  some  wooden 
dishes  and  spoons.  All  the  cooking,  however,  is  done  at  once  in 
the  big  ship  kettle  which  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  deck  near  the 
main  mast  ("Man  mast").  The  sailors  get  more  provisions  than 
the  soldiers,  because  they  have  to  work.  Four  sailors  get  as  much 
as  six  soldiers. 

The  flour,  fat  and  raisons,  which  are  furnished  every  Tues 
day  and  Saturday,  are  used  for  making  a  pudding,  and  each  sec 
tion  is  provided  with  a  linen  bag  to  cook  the  same  in. 

When  the  oatmeal  gives  out,  rice  takes  the  place,  but  I  have 
noticed  that  oatmeal  is  better  for  sea  travellers,  as  it  cools  and 
sweetens  the  blood  which  gets  heated  through  the  frequent  dis 
charge  of  gall  caused  by  the  continuous  movements  of  the  ship. 
The  urin  is  colored  dark  with  the  gall,  and  I  consider  this  the 
chief  cause  for  scurvy,  which  is  so  common  among  seafarers. 
The  eating  of  salt  meat,  want  of  perspiration  and  exercise  are 
only  secondary  and  aggravate  the  disease. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  13 

Since  these  notes  are  intended  for  those  countrymen  of  mine 
who  do  not  live  near  the  coast  and  have  no  opportunity  to  see  the 
arrangement  of  a  ship,  I  hope  my  other  readers  will  not  take  it 
amiss  if  I  try  to  give  a  full  description  of  the  same. 

The  cabin  of  the  officers  is  situated  in  the  back  part  of  the 
ship,  and  my  description  will  continue  from  this  point  to  the  front 
part  of  the  same.  Two  or  four  windows  of  the  cabin  open  out  on 
the  stern  of  the  ship.  The  cabin  is  about  20  or  more  feet  wide 
and  12  feet  long.  The  height  is  circa  nine  feet.  On  the  sides  are 
the  beds  of  the  officers,  usually  one  above  another,  and  all  space 
is  well  utilized.  Next  to  this  big  cabin  are  two  small  cabins,  also 
for  the  use  of  officers.  In  the  big  cabin  is  a  fire  place  in  which 
coal  is  burned  for  heating  in  winter.  There  are  two  more  small 
cabins  at  the  beginning  of  the  hall  which  leads  to  the  officers' 
cabins.  These  are  used  by  the  captain  and  the  chief  pilot.  Under 
neath  the  cabins  is  the  powder-magazine,  and  the  sleeping  place  of 
the  steward.  In  front  of  the  cabin,  however,  entirely  separated 
from  it,  are  the  quarters  of  the  sailors.  All  this  is  a  little  higher 
than  the  rest  of  the  ship,  and  this  higher  deck  is  called  the  main 
deck  (Quarterdeck,  le  Gaillard). 

Some  steps  lead  down  to  the  other  deck,  where  the  soldiers 
are  quartered  and  where  four  rows  of  beds  are  placed  one  above 
the  other.  Each  soldier,  as  soon  as  he  came  on  board,  received  a 
linen  mattrass  stuffed  with  wool  and  a  small  pillow  similar  to  the 
mattrass.  Also  one  small  white  woolen  blanket  and  one  colored 
one.  All  this  is  usually  burnt  after  each  trip,  in  order  to  make  a 
better  demand  for  English  wool  manufacturers.  Underneath  the 
big  room  is  the  place  where  the  barrels  with  water,  meat,  beer  and 
other  provisions  are  stored,  and  below  this  place  is  a  space,  about 
two  feet  high,  where  the  water  coming  into  the  ship  gathers  and 
from  where  it  is  pumped  out.  In  the  front  part  of  the  ship  is 
another  deck  under  which  the  cable  is  passed  and  where  the  small 
kitchen  for  the  officers  is  situated.  The  rest  of  the  space  is  used 
for  stables  for  live  stock.  In  front  of  this  deck  is  the  big  wheel 
by  which  the  anchor  is  raised  or  lowered,  and  above  this  is  a  bell 
which  is  rung  at  noon  and  at  midnight.  At  these  times  the  guard 
of  the  sailors  is  relieved.  This  bell  serves  also  to  give  the  time  at 


14  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

night  as  well  as  in  the  day.  The  sailor  at  the  wheel  gets  the  time 
from  an  hour-glass  and  calls  to  the  sailor  on  guard  in  front, 
whenever  the  bell  is  to  be  rung. 

Water  is,  properly,  used  very  sparingly.  The  barrel  from 
which  the  water  is  taken  at  the  time,  lies  on  the  quarterdeck  and 
a  man  guards  it  to  prevent  wasting  it.  This  precaution  is  very 
necessary,  as  it  is  never  known  beforehand  how  long  a  trip  on 
the  sea  may  last. 

Careful  attention  is  given  to  the  cleanliness  of  the  ships,  and 
every  morning  the  whole  ship  is  washed  with  sea  water,  inside  and 
out.  The  way  the  cabin  boys  clean  the  cabins  is  worthy  of  imita 
tion  in  dwelling  houses  and  apartments  where  the  floors  are  made 
of  boards.  The  floor  is  first  swept  dry  with  a  broom  and  after 
wards  scrubbed  with  a  stiff,  short-bristled  brush,  fastened  to  a 
long  stick  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees.  After  this  the  wet  floor  is 
wiped  up  with  a  woolen  mop  (Mapp)  which  is  also  fastened  to  a 
stick.  All  this  is  done  with  marvelous  rapidity,  and  the  servant 
girls  in  Germany  could  hardly  do  it  as  well,  in  spite  of  all  the 
trouble  they  are  accustomed  to  take. 

MARCH  22ND. — About  10  o'clock  A.  M.  all  the  ships  weighed 
anchor,  and  the  ships  started  with  a  fresh  south  breeze  down  the 
Elbe  to  Cuxhaven,  the  port  of  Ritzebiittel,  where  the  anchors  were 
cast  again  at  half -past  three  in  the  afternoon. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  it  is  rather  healthy  than  otherwise 
to  be  on  the  sea  if  you  except  a  few  diseases,  as  scurvy,  etc., 
common  to  seafarers.  We  took  more  than  twenty  sick  people  on 
board  when  we  embarked,  all  of  whom,  except  four,  were  cured 
in  a  few  days.  Especially  the  "Hectici"  felt  a  great  deal  better 
on  the  water  than  on  land,  and  those  having  long  suffered  from 
fever  got  rid  of  it 

On  this  day  we  saw  for  the  first  time  porpoises  (purpose 
pig).  This  is  a  fish  about  ten  feet  long  and  four  feet  broad,  of  a 
brownish  color,  with  a  flat  head  and  high  fins  on  its  back.  The 
English  call  this  fish  "Pupose  Pig"  because  its  head  is  something 
like  that  of  a  pig.  The  German  expression  "Tiimmler"  may  have 
originated  from  a  peculiar  way  the  fish  has  of  shooting  up  to  the 
surface  of  the  water  and  quickly  diving  down  again.  This  causes 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  15 

the  water  to  foam  and  splash  and  it  looks  from  a  distance  as  if 
the  fish  had  turned  a  somersault.  The  porpoises  do  not  go  up 
stream  farther  than  the  salt  water.  The  mixing  of  the  salt  water 
with  the  fresh  was  easily  noticed  when  we  had  lost  sight  of  the 
coast  on  the  right-hand  side. 

MARCH  23RD. — At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  fleet 
weighed  anchor  and  passed  by  Ritzebiittel  and  out  of  the  Elbe 
into  the  Baltic  with  southwest  wind.  The  pilots  left  the  ship. 
As  long  as  they  are  on  board  they  govern  the  boat,  turn  the  wheel 
and  give  their  orders  in  regard  to  the  setting  and  changing  of  the 
sails  as  they  deem  best.  They  decide  with  which  wind  to  sail  and 
when  to  cast  anchor.  They  receive  2  Rth.  for  each  foot  the  ship 
sinks  in  water  and  also  get  everything  free  as  long  as  they  are 
on  board.  The  pilots  are  accepted  and  sworn  in  by  the  admiralty 
in  Hamburg,  with  which  they  also  have  to  share  their  pay,  because 
the  admiralty  has  to  make  good  in  case  a  vessel  is  shipwrecked. 
For  very  large  vessels  additional  charges  are  to  be  paid  daily  in 
addition.  Our  ship  had  a  draft  of  14  feet  and  consequently  our 
captain  had  to  pay  28  Reichsthaler. 

On  account  of  unfavorable  wind,  which  blew  southwest  the 
whole  day,  we  were  obliged  to  keep  to  the  right  toward  Hilge- 
land,  and  we  could  not  make  more  than  eight  sea  miles. 

Hilgeland  is  a  red  rock  rising  out  of  the  sea  and  without 
vegetation.  There  are  about  1500  inhabitants  on  the  island.  The 
men  make  a  living  by  fishing  or  being  pilots  on  the  Elbe.  All 
provisions  must  be  brought  from  the  continent. 

The  latitude  on  this  day,  which  the  chief  pilot  finds  out  every 
noon  as  soon  as  the  sun  comes  out  with  the  help  of  the  well- 
known  Hadley  Octant,  was  54°  10'.  The  latitude  can  be  de 
termined  most  accurately  with  this  instrument,  which  does  honor 
to  its  inventor,  and  which  appears  to  be  the  only  one  suitable  for 
use  on  the  sea.  On  this  octant  are  diopters  with  glass  plates,  one 
of  which  is  divided  in  two,  the  one  part  being  a  mirror.  The  sun 
must  be  on  the  same  line  in  the  mirror  with  the  line  of  the  horizon 
seen  through  the  glass  of  the  diopter  to  show  exactly  12  o'clock  at 
noon.  This  position  changes  very  quickly,  however,  and  great 
care  should  therefore  be  taken.  From  the  latitude  of  the  day 
before,  and  the  distance  sailed  during  that  time,  by  subtracting 


1 6  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

the  differences  and  amplitudes,  the  present  latitude  is  found.  A 
good  watch  is  also  consulted.  There  are  generally  several  of 
these  instruments  on  a  boat  to  make  the  observations  more  accu 
rate. 

In  order  to  find  out,  how  fast  a  ship  sails,  a  log-line  is  thrown 
out  at  the  stern  of  the  ship.  This  consists  of  a  small  board  in  the 
figure  of  a  triangle  loaded  with  lead  at  the  bottom  so  as  to  float 
upright  on  the  surface  and  is  attached  to  a  long  line,  which  is 
divided  with  red  cloth  into  equal  spaces,  and  which  unwinds  from 
a  spool.  When  the  log  is  thrown  out  the  line  is  allowed  to  reel  off 
until  the  movement  of  the  ship  no  longer  affects  the  log.  Then  an 
hour  glass  is  turned,  which  runs  in  half  a  minute,  and  from  this 
it  is  seen  how  many  knots  are  run  in  this  time.  The  log  line 
is  thrown  every  two  hours,  in  the  night  as  well  as  in  the  day 
time,  and  record  is  made  each  time  of  the  distance,  as  also  of 
the  wind  and  other  minor  conditions.  At  the  end  of  24  hours 
record  of  all  this  is  entered  in  the  ship's  journal  which  the  Eng 
lish  ships  are  obliged  to  keep  and  which  is  to  be  handed  over  to 
the  Admiralty  after  return  to  England.  The  figures  given  by  the 
log-line  are  added  up  and  the  average  for  24  hours  is  reckoned. 
The  changes  of  the  wind  are  all  mentioned,  as  well  as  the  number 
of  sails  set.  These  calculations  are  made  from  noon  to  noon. 

MARCH  24x11. — West  Northwest,  West  Southwest,  North 
Northwest,  Latitude  54°  31'.  At  noon  we  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Weser,  and  as  the  wind  was  still  ahead  of  us,  we  were  unable 
to  make  more  than  44  nautical  miles  (leagues).*  Twenty  nauti 
cal  miles  make  one  degree.  This  is  the  same  with  all  seafaring 
nations. 

The  wind  got  higher  and  consequently  the  sea  got  rougher 
and  the  movement  of  the  ship  increased.  This  made  vomiting 
and  seasickness  more  general ;  however,  a  few  others  and  I  were 
free  from  it. 

Our  fleet  was  very  much  scattered,  only  the  "Providence", 
"Peggy",  "Royal  Briton"  and  "Elisabeth"  remained  near  our 
boat.  We  were  in  danger  of  going  aground,  as  there  were  many 
shallows.  We  were  also  afraid  that  a  number  of  our  ships  would 
be  obliged  to  go  back  to  Cuxhaven. 

*The  Fr.  lieite  is  found  in  the  original. — Editor. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  17 

MARCH  25x11. — Latitude  54°  25',  North,  Northeast,  East. 
The  violence  of  the  wind  which  had  increased  during  the  pre 
ceding  night,  caused  general  seasickness  on  this  day,  and  even 
the  young  sailors  and  cabin  boys,  who  had  been  on  the  water  be 
fore,  were  not  spared.  I  myself  had  a  bad  attack,  although  with 
out  vomiting.  It  was  impossible  to  take  my  daily  walks  on  deck, 
partly  on  account  of  great  weakness,  incessant  headaches  and  diz 
ziness,  and  partly  because  I  had  not  had  practice  enough  in  the 
art  of  balancing  myself  (an  art  acquired  since).  The  only  place 
of  safety  for  me  was  the  bed,  unless  I  was  willing  to  drown  or 
break  my  bones.  Miserably  I  passed  the  day,  but  more  miserably 
the  night.  Very  ill,  without  any  attention,  (our  men  being  worse 
than  we),  without  light  and  service,  we  were  bumped  about  in 
the  cabin.  Too  weak  to  stand  up,  we  were  unable  to  care  for  our 
things.  Our  chairs,  bottles,  cups,  boxes  and  valises,  besides  other 
indispensable  necessities  were  thrown  about  against  each  other 
and  broken.  Every  one  looked  sorrowful  at  the  harm  done  the 
next  morning,  and  the  only  profit  we  could  take  from  it  was  the 
lesson  of  packing  and  fastening  them  better  in  the  future.  And 
yet  we  had  to  laugh  when  at  break  of  day,  we  saw  the  auditor, 
who  had  taken  charge  of  the  officers'  mess,  for  six  minutes 
chasing  and  making  very  unusual  leaps,  against  his  will,  after  a 
fugitive  butter  jar,  which  had  remained  pretty  well  in  its  place 
underneath  a  canon  during  the  night.  Moreover,  the  roaring  of 
the  wind  and  the  din  of  the  breaking  waves,  the  calls  of  the  sailors, 
the  noise  of  the  things  falling  around,  the  cracking  of  the  cannons 
etc.,  is  very  disagreeable  for  anybody  not  acquainted  with  sea 
faring,  especially  at  night.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  the  senses 
are  far  more  acute  during  seasickness,  when  the  nerves  are  espe 
cially  racked  by  the  violent  motion  of  the  ship.  During  these 
two  days,  it  had  been  almost  impossible  for  us  to  take  any  nourish 
ment,  partly  from  lack  of  appetite,  and  partly  because  everything 
tasted  bad.  And  the  stomach  refused  to  retain  the  food ;  the  one 
thing  which  agreed  with  us  best  was  sour  apples,  which  were 
bought  as  part  of  the  provisions  in  Buxtehude. 

Toward  evening  we  were  on  a  line  with  Schellingen ;  as  the 
east  wind  was  favorable  we  made  116  nautical  miles  this  day. 


1 8  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

MARCH  26x11. — Latitude  50°  51'.  East,  East  Southeast,  101 
nautical  miles.  We  passed  the  "Eovel"  and  were  off  Amsterdam 
and  Haarlem  after  noon.  Although  the  sea  was  very  high,  we 
began,  when  the  wind  abated  somewhat,  to  recuperate  from 
seasickness. 

MARCH  27TH. — Latitude  51°  19'.  Southeast,  East,  East 
Northeast,  96  nautical  miles.  The  weather  became  clearer  and  the 
land  breezes  did  a  good  deal  towards  our  getting  well.  The  sol 
diers  began  to  look  for  their  pork  and  peas  and  appeared  again  on 
deck  to  do  some  cooking,  which  they  had  not  done  for  two  days. 
About  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  entered  the  channel.  Here 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  at  one  glance  both  the  coasts  of  Eng 
land  and  France.  On  the  left  side  we  could  see  very  plainly 
Calais,  and  on  the  right  Deal,  Dover,  etc.  We  passed  Dover  so 
closely  that  the  old  fort,  which  is  situated  on  a  hill  and  built  en 
tirely  of  stone,  was  distinctly  visible  with  the  naked  eye.  Our 
captain  showed  us  the  place  where  Julius  Cesar,  according  to  his 
torical  traditions,  had  gone  ashore  and  gained  a  victory  over  the 
old  Britons. 

MARCH  28iH. — Latitude  52°.  East  Northeast,  Northeast. 
At  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  arrived  at  the  heights  of  Spit- 
head,  where  the  anchor  was  dropped.  This  roadstead  is  situated 
at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  of  Portsmouth  and  is  protected  from 
the  side  by  the  Isle  of  Wight,  the  most  beautiful  island  you  can 
imagine.  If  I  ever  saw  a  magnificent  view,  it  was  from  this  road 
stead  of  Spithead.  Around  us  were  numerous  ships,  and  on  the 
left  the  Isle  of  Wight  with  luxuriant  cornfields,  parks  and  castles ; 
to  the  right  we  saw  the  coast  of  Sussex  with  the  chalk  mountains, 
in  front  of  us  was  Portsmouth  with  its  harbor  full  of  large  and 
small  vessels.  On  the  one  side  of  Portsmouth  is  the  hospital  for 
sailors  (where  the  well-known  Pringle  is  a  surgeon).  Behind 
this  in  profile  is  the  city  of  Cosport. 

We  found  most  of  our  ships  here,  and  also  English  and 
Russian  men-of-war.  The  first  were  to  go  to  America,  the  latter 
had  just  come  back  from  the  Archipelago.  Oysters  are  frequently 
caught  here,  and  the  coast  was  full  of  small  boats  which  were  fish- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  19 

ing  for  oysters.  We  found  the  oysters  very  palatable.  A  hun 
dred  of  them  cost  only  one  English  shilling. 

MARCH  29x11. — So  far  we  had  not  heard  to  which  English 
province  in  America  we  were  to  go,  but  to-day  we  were  informed 
that  the  Brunswick  troops  were  destined  for  Canada.  Towards 
evening  five  more  transports  arrived,  which  were  loaded  with  a 
regiment  of  six  companies  from  Hesse-Hanau;  these  were  also 
to  go  to  Canada.  Col.  von  Gall  was  in  command  of  this  regiment. 

Of  the  12,000  men  from  Hesse-Cassel,  mentioned  in  the  be 
ginning  of  my  diary,  none  had  embarked  so  far.  However,  they 
were  soon  to  be  transported  and  were  to  serve  with  the  English 
army  under  the  command  of  General  Howe.  It  was  decided  they 
were  to  land  at  Long  Island,  and  were  to  engage  the  rebels  from 
that  side. 

MARCH  3OTH. — Three  English  men-of-war  started  ahead  of 
us  for  Halifax  to  cruise  against  privateers  of  the  rebels. 

MARCH  31  ST. — Our  captain  took  me  along  to  Portsmouth  on 
a  jolly-boat.  We  went  ashore  near  the  port  which  is  protected 
by  a  battery  of  stone,  of  which  one  could  really  say  that  it  is 
covered  with  canons  and  guns  in  order  to  command  the  entrance 
of  the  harbor.  I  first  looked  at  the  fortifications  commenced  un 
der  Edward  IV.,  continued  under  Henry  VII.  and  VIII.  and  com 
pleted  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Elisabeth.  The  fortifications 
are  not  laid  out  in  altogether  antiquated  manner,  they  are  faulty, 
and  I  found  particularly  that  the  trenches  are  too  narrow. 

Portsmouth  has  two  suburbs ;  one  of  them  is  included  in  the 
fortifications  in  order  to  guard  the  dry-dock  which  is  in  this  sub 
urb.  This  dry-dock  is  in  my  opinion  unquestionably  the  largest 
and  best  of  all  belonging  to  seafaring  nations,  which  opinion  is 
confirmed  by  others  who  have  seen  a  number  of  wharves.  The 
supply  of  ship  timber,  ropes,  masts,  anchors,  and  other  necessities 
of  which  the  English  navy  and  nation  can  be  proud,  may  justly  be 
called  huge  and  imposing.  A  large  number  of  ships  are  partly 
finished  in  the  storehouses.  Everything  to  the  smallest  detail  is 
determined,  even  the  name,  and  the  different  parts  of  the  boats 
are  stored  away  in  separate  apartments  under  the  label  of  this 


2O  Journal  of  Dn  Roi  the  Elder 

name.  How  easy  it  must  be  for  the  Crown  of  England  to  create 
a  fleet  from  this  stock,  which  does  not  take  more  time  than  that 
required  to  join  the  parts.  Two  thousand  men  are  at  work  daily 
in  this  ship  yard.  I  went  on  board  the  largest  ship  of  the  English 
fleet,  the  "Britannia",  which  had  been  in  the  dock  for  six  years 
for  repairs.  Although  I  had  seen  pretty  big  boats  before,  all  my 
previous  experiences  were  surpassed. 

The  length  of  this  immense  machine  is  214  English  feet,  and 
the  breadth  52  feet  3  inches.  The  diameter  of  the  biggest  mast 
(man  mast)  is  10  feet  4  inches,  and  the  height  to  the  first  round- 
top  1 06  feet.  The  ship  carries  112  very  large  cannons,  the  biggest 
of  which  weighs  42,000  pounds.*  The  biggest  anchor  weighs  85 
hundred  weight.  The  ship  has  four  decks,  and  therefore  four 
spacious  cabins  one  above  the  other.  As  far  as  space  is  concerned, 
I  believe  this  ship  would  hold  as  many  people  as  a  big  castle.  It 
takes  1000  men  for  the  crew,  and  the  building  expenses  are  said 
to  amount  to  100,000  pounds  sterling.  The  city  of  Portsmouth 
has  straight  and  broad  streets  which  are  very  clean.  The  houses 
are  built  of  brick,  but  only  a  few  are  in  good  taste. 

In  the  dock-yard  is  the  naval  academy  for  the  young  sailors 
who  are  there  being  instructed  in  all  necessary  branches.  The 
academy  has  a  well-equipped  library  and  a  good  supply  of  instru 
ments  and  models.  A  very  good  model  of  the  ship  "Victoria"  is 
shown.  This  boat  was  shipwrecked  in  the  year  1744  on  a  journey 
to  Aldernay  with  more  than  a  thousand  men  on  board  under  com 
mand  of  Admiral  Balcher.  Nothing  has  ever  been  heard  of  the 
ship  since. 

The  marine  hospital,  which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  harbor, 
is  a  large  and  beautiful  building,  masonry  massively  built,  the 
roof  being  of  slate. 

APRIL  IST. — Nine  more  transports  arrived  with  English 
artillery  and  ammunition  under  the  command  of  General  Philipps. 
These  ships  were  to  be  used  in  case  Quebec  had  been  conquered 
by  the  rebels,  which  might  be  expected.  The  two  frigates  "Juno" 
and  "Blonde",  the  first  with  30,  and  the  second  with  28  cannon 


*The  figures  mentioned  are  the  exact  figures  given  in  the  manuscript- 


Translator, 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  21 

on  board,  were  to  serve  as  convoys  to  our  fleet.  Both  ships  had 
belonged  to  France  and  were  captured  during  the  last  war. 

Captain  Hugh  Dalrympel  of  the  "Juno"  was  to  conduct  the 
fleet  up  the  river  St.  Lawrence  to  Canada. 

All  the  transports  received  orders  from  him  to-day  that  the 
fleet  was  to  sail  in  two  lines.  "Juno"  was  to  take  the  lead,  and 
"Blonde"  to  close  the  lines.  In  case  the  boats  should  become 
separated  by  storm,  the  isle  "Aux  Coudrais"  in  the  St.  Lawrence 
river  was  to  be  the  place  of  rendezvous.  If  ships  met  at  night,  the 
answer  to  the  first  call  should  be  "King  of  Parliament,"  and  the 
first  ship  was  to  respond  to  this  with  "God  save  you,"  while  the 
other  one  would  answer  "Amen."  This  arrangement  was  made 
also  to  prevent  strange  vessels  mingling  with  the  fleet. 

To-day  the  agent  sent  a  big  flat-bottomed  boat  to  our  ship  to 
be  used  for  landing  purposes,  although  we  already  had  three 
boats.  Our  captain  saw  very  clearly  in  advance  what  trouble  this 
boat  could  make,  which  came  to  pass,  and  refused  to  take  it  on 
board,  but  he  had  to  submit. 

APRIL  3RD. — At  7  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  left  Spithead  for 
St.  Helena,  where  the  anchor  again  was  dropped  toward  9  o'clock. 

APRIL  4TH. — North,  Northeast.  At  3  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  the  signals  were  given  to  sail.  The  anchors  were  weighed 
and  the  fleet  started  according  to  the  orders  received  in  two  lines. 
"Juno"  was  at  the  head  and  "Blonde"  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Philemon  Pownel,  and  with  General  Bourgoyne  on  board, 
was  the  rear  guard.  Towards  evening  we  passed  the  corner  of 
the  Isle  of  Wight.  The  wind  was  not  very  favorable. 

APRIL  STH. — Latitude  50°  23'  Northeast.  We  passed  the 
coasts  of  Weymouth  and  Portland.  On  this  side  of  England  the 
coast  consists  mainly  of  chalk  mountains,  which  are,  however, 
very  well  cultivated  on  the  surface. 

Near  Portland  is  an  important  quarry,  furnishing  very  ser 
viceable  stone,  which  is  shipped  far  away.  Every  year  about  200 
ships  and  vessels  are  needed  for  its  transportation. 

APRIL  6xH. — Latitude  50°  6'.  N.  E.,  N.  W.  While  passing 
the  port  of  Plymouth,  4  more  transports  with  the  English  regi 
ment  No.  21,  also  destined  for  Canada,  joined  our  fleet. 


22  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

APRIL  7TH. — Latitude  50°.  N.  W.  We  passed  in  front  of 
the  great  bay  between  Plymouth  and  Cape  Lizard.  Our  fleet  con 
sisted  now  of  thirty-six  vessels  and  made  a  fine  spectacle.  There 
were: 

The    2  frigates  "Juno"  and  Blonde". 

1 6  transports  with  Brunswick  troops. 

4  transports  with  English  regiment  No.  21. 

5  transports  with  Hesse-Hanau  regiment. 

9  transports  with  English  artillery  and  ammunition. 

36  vessels. 

APRIL  STH.-— Latitude  49°  41'.  N.  W.,  N.  N.  W.  After 
passing  Cape  Lizard  and  Lands  End,  we  entered  the  well-known 
Atlantic  Ocean  (Mare  atlanticum).  A  stronger  movement  of  the 
waves  made  it  quite  noticeable.  Seasickness  prevailed  again  since 
the  land  breezes  could  not  reach  us  any  more,  and  even  those  who 
had  escaped  in  the  beginning  of  the  trip,  fell  victims  to  it  now. 

APRIL  9TH. — Latitude  48°  24'.  N.  N.  E.  From  now  on  we 
proceeded  without  interruption  and  made  150  nautical  miles  this 
day. 

APRIL  IOTH. — Latitude  47°  46'.  N.  E.,  E.  114  nautical 
miles. 

APRIL  1 1 TH.— Latitude  47°'  28'.  E.  N.  E.  96  miles.  The 
wind  being  favorable,  our  fleet  sailed  majestically  along.  Capt. 
Hugh  Dalrympel,  in  command  of  the  "Juno",  gave  the  signals, 
all  of  which  have  their  different  meaning  and  which  are  under 
stood  by  the  transports  according  to  their  instructions.  Some 
times  flags  and  pennants  are  changed,  or  the  sails  in  case  the 
course  is  to  be  faster  or  slower,  and  generally  a  cannon  is  fired 
at  the  beginning  of  the  change,  or  if  the  signal  has  not  been 
obeyed.  The  pilot  and  the  sailor  who,  on  every  ship,  are  stationed 
on  the  quarter  deck  behind  the  wheel,  have  to  keep  their  eyes  con 
tinually  on  these  signs.  At  night  the  signals  are  given  with  lan 
terns  which  are  placed  according  to  their  meaning  on  one  or  the 
other  of  the  round-tops  of  the  three  masts.  These  signals  are 
very  important,  to  direct  the  ships  or  to  warn  them  against  dan- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  23 

ger,  as  all  other  ways  of  communication  from  one  ship  to  another, 
as  letting  down  boats,  or  using  speaking  tubes  are  impossible.  It 
is  very  dangerous  for  ships  to  come  too  close  to  each  other. 

In  a  fleet  no  ship  is  allowed  to  pass  the  commander,  nor  to 
stay  behind.  Both  offenses  are  punished  unless  there  is  sufficient 
excuse. 

"Blonde"  had  to  urge  on  the  lazy  ones.  Even  cannons  were 
loaded  with  balls  and  fired  at  those  which  stayed  too  far  behind, 
and  sometimes  the  masts  and  sails  were  damaged.  Besides,  an 
order  was  given  that  each  shot  was  to  be  paid  for  with  2  guineas. 

APRIL  I2TH. — Latitude  47°  22'.    E.     126  nautical  miles. 

APRIL  I3TH. — Latitude  47°  29.'  East  to  South,  S.  E.  112 
miles. 

APRIL  I4TH. — Latitude  47°  05'.    S.    107  miles. 

APRIL  I5TH. — Latitude  46°  27'.     S.  E.  E.     140  miles. 

APRIL  i6xH. — Latitude  46°'  02'.  N.  E.  N.,  N.  123  miles. 
The  wind  had  suddenly  changed,  become  violent  and  the  sea  ran 
high.  This  was  the  worst  night  we  had  so  far  experienced.  The 
Atlantic  Ocean  is,  according  to  the  account  of  sailors,  the  most 
turbulent  of  all  seas.  It  can  hardly  be  believed  that  the  waves 
ran  so  high  as  to  entirely  shut  off  from  sight  the  masts  of  a 
ship  passing  close  by.  This  will  give  an  idea  of  the  motion  of 
the  ship.  Sometimes  they  are  tossed  high  up  and  then  they  sink 
into  a  deep  abyss  to  be  tossed  up  again  immediately.  A  wave 
which  struck  the  ship  amidships  with  the  greatest  violence  made 
such  a  noise  that  every  one  thought  the  ship  had  burst.  Often 
the  waves  washed  over  the  deck.  All  entrances  to  the  cabins, 
etc.,  had  to  be  closed  and  one  of  the  sailors  narrowly  escaped 
being  washed  overboard  and  drowned.  This  made  such  an  im 
pression  upon  me  that  I,  with  some  loss,  and  completely  drenched, 
withdrew  for  this  day  from  the  deck,  retired  to  my  cabin  and 
crept  into  my  bunk. 

APRIL  I7TH. — Latitude  45°  06'.  N.  W.,  N.  N.  W.  92 
miles.  Toward  midday  the  wind  had  gone  down  a  little  and  had 
shifted.  However,  the  sea  ran  as  high  as  on  the  day  before  and 
this  caused  most  violent  seasickness.  Nevertheless,  I  forced  my 
self  to  stay  on  deck  and  admired  the  turbulent  and  stormy  sea. 


24  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Our  captain  explained  to  us  that  the  movements  of  the  waves  fol 
lowed  fixed  laws,  and  we  saw  plainly  during  these  two  days  that 
after  nine  medium-sized  waves  three  very  large  ones  followed. 
This  rule  was  confirmed  about  a  thousand  times. 

Our  loss  of  the  day  before  was  considerable.  One  wave 
had  torn  down  a  hatchway  and  carried  it  away.  The  captain 
had  lost  his  hat  and  the  speaking  tube.  The  cook  his  favorite 
dog,  a  soldier  a  pair  of  trousers,  and  I  my  cap. 

The  fleet  was  greatly  scattered.  Toward  evening  we  passed 
the  Azores,  in  the  distance,  among  them  Flores  and  Corvo.  On 
an  old  map  by  Homann  two  more  Azores  are  mentioned,  namely 
"Meida"  and  "Verte,"  which  are  not  there  nor  ever  were  there. 

APRIL  i8xH. — Latitude  44°  33'.    N.  81  miles. 

APRIL  IQTH. — Latitude  44 Cl  19'.  N.  N.  E.,  N.  W.  27  miles. 
In  quiet  days  the  color  of  the  water  is  the  most  beautiful  bluish- 
green  (chymische  Griin)  that  can  be  imagined,  and  when  the  sun 
beams  strike  athwart  the  little  waves,  the  sea  looks  like  molten 
silver.  I  have  often  found  that  Nicolini,  when  he  pictured  the 
ocean  with  mock  silver  in  his  pantomimes,  was  a  true  imitator  of 
nature.  The  sea  was  very  calm,  and  this  gave  us  an  opportunity 
to  study  very  closely  an  animal  which  appeared  on  the  surface 
of  the  water  and  which  is  called  by  the  English  "Portugaise  Man- 
of-War."  It  received  the  name  without  doubt,  from  a  bladder 
which  it  blows  up  whenever  it  desires  to  rise  to  the  surface. 
This  bladder  looks  like  a  full  blown  sail  and  it  is  borne  on  by  the 
wind  like  a  ship,  as  the  animal  has  no  organs  for  swimming. 
Otherwise  it  resembles  an  eel,  in  form,  and  is  about  10  inches 
long.  Its  color  is  blue ;  the  bladder  is  white. 

APRIL  20TH. — Latitude  44°  29'.  S.  W.  46  miles.  Toward 
noon  another  English  fleet  consisting  of  forty-five  ships,  joined 
us.  They  had  seven  English  regiments  on  board  and  were 
loaded  with  provisions  and  ammunition.  This  fleet  had  sailed 
from  Glasgow  and  Cork.  The  regiments  on  board  were :  Nos. 
9,  20,  24,  31,  34,  53  and  62,  each  one  numbering  770  men.  This 
increased  our  fleet  very  materially,  which  now,  in  its  entirety, 
consisted  of  81  boats,  and  on  account  of  the  calm  they  were  able 
to  lie  close  together.  A  beautiful  view,  nothing  but  sky,  water 
and  ships. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  25 

APRIL  2 1  ST. — Latitude  44°  59'.  S.  W.  68  miles.  After  the 
calm,  bad  weather  set  in  again,  and  it  became  very  rough. 

APRIL  22ND. — Latitude  45°  30'.  S.  W.,  N.  to  W.  87  miles. 
The  weather  became  rougher,  and  it  rained  very  hard.  We  were 
obliged  to  remain  in  the  cabin  the  whole  day  long.  The  fleet 
which  had  come  to  us  on  the  twentieth  of  April,  left  us  again, 
but  stayed  at  some  distance  to  our  right. 

APRIL  23RD. — Latitude  44°*  37'.  N.  86  miles.  The  sea  ran 
very  high  and  the  ship  rolled  heavily. 

APRIL  24TH. — Latitude  44°  40'.  N.  E.  S.  77  miles.  The 
wind  blew  strong  and  from  its  shifting  an  idea  can  be  formed 
of  the  stormy  weather.  The  ship  was  tossed  about  most  violently ; 
the  night  was  very  disagreeable,  and  the  sailors  on  deck  made 
much  more  noise  than  heretofore.  The  cause  of  this  we  learned 
the  next  morning  when  the  captain  entered  our  cabin  with  a 
very  serious  countenance,  which  was  unusual,  and  informed  us 
that  the  ship  had  sprung  a  big  leak  in  the  hold  during  the  night. 
Three  pumps  had  been  at  work  continually  for  the  last  ten 
hours  with  hardly  any  result.  He  announced  besides,  that  if 
the  damage  were  not  soon  mended,  he  would  not  be  able  to  carry 
us  to  Newfoundland. 

We  were  in  great  danger  unless  the  weather  changed  for 
the  better  soon.  This  bad  news  made  us  get  out  of  bed  and  go  to 
the  pumps  at  once,  and  since  we  desired  to  conceal  the  true  rea 
son  from  the  soldiers  as  long  as  possible,  the  officers  began  to  joke 
and  laugh  as  they  pumped,  and  pretended  that  they  did  this  work 
to  get  exercise.  The  soldiers  who  were  standing  around  and 
watching  the  officers  were  advised  to  do  likewise  to  keep  their 
health,  and  were  drawn  into  the  work,  and  thus  the  pumps  were 
kept  going  continually  without  anyone  knowing  anything  of  the 
danger  except  the  officers  and  the  sailors.  The  latter  had  strict 
orders  to  do  all  the  necessary  work  without  any  excitement,  and 
not  to  let  on  to  the  soldiers  that  there  was  anything  wrong.  The 
soldiers  were  a  little  suspicious  on  account  of  the  quantity  of 
water  pumped  out,  but  some  reasons  were  given  for  this  and 
they  were  easily  satisfied.  Meanwhile,  the  captain,  the  ship's 


26  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

carpenter  and  some  of  the  sailors  were  trying  to  find  the  leak, 
which  they  succeeded  in  doing  toward  noon,  but  as  long  as  the 
weather  was  so  rough,  it  was  impossible  to  remedy  it  entirely. 
The  big  flat  boat,  which  the  agent  at  Spithead  had  insisted  on 
putting  on  board  in  spite  of  the  captain's  protests,  was  the  chief 
cause  of  the  damage.  Since  our  ship  had  three  boats  on  board 
already,  a  scaffolding  had  been  built  on  the  deck  above  the  other 
three  boats,  for  this  flat  boat.  The  violent  movement  of  the 
ship,  the  weight  of  the  boat,  and  especially  of  the  scaffolding 
had  caused  our  vessel  to  spring  a  leak  at  the  keel.  We  took  coun 
cil  concerning  our  serious  condition  and  we  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  this  flat  boat  would  have  to  be  thrown  overboard  for 
our  safety  and  rescue  if  our  efforts  to  stop  the  leak  should  fail. 

APRIL  25TH.— Latitude  44°  44'.  S.  S.  W.,  W.,  N.  E.,  S.  E. 
79  miles.  Weather  still  stormy,  more  violent  than  yesterday. 
A  sail  was  torn  and  something  broke  on  the  wheel  towards  night, 
which  was,  however,  repaired  that  night.  Our  work  kept  on 
without  interruption. 

APRIL  26xH.— Latitude  44°  14'.  S.  S.  E.,  W.,  N.  W.  63 
nautical  miles.  The  wind  had  decreased  a  little  and  we  were 
fortunate  enough  to  stop  the  leak  entirely.  Thus  the  flat  boat 
had  a  few  days  grace. 

Our  fleet  was  entirely  scattered  and  not  more  than  four 
boats  were  in  sight. 

APRIL  27TH. — Latitude  44°  33'.  N.  N.  E.,  E.  to  S.  57 
miles.  The  fleet  assembled  again  with  the  exception  of  one  ves 
sel,  which  was  still  missing. 

APRIL  28TH.— Latitude  44°  36'.  S.  E.,  S.,  N.  N.  W.  124 
miles. 

APRIL  2QTH. — Latitude  44°  05'.  N.  N.  W.  77  miles.  It 
began  to  grow  very  cold  and  we  were  obliged  to  have  a  fire 
made  in  the  cabin,  which  had  not  been  done  for  three  weeks. 
Our  captain  informed  us  that  this  cold  was  not  only  due  to  the 
north  wind,  but  to  the  nearness  of  land,  of  which  it  was  a  sure 
sign.  The  evaporations  of  the  sea  are  warm  and  the  cold  is  a 
characteristic  only  of  the  main  land. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  27 

APRIL  30TH. — Latitude  43°'  24'.  N.  W.  52  miles.  We 
again  saw  some  porpoises,  and  this  led  us  to  believe  that  we  were 
on  the  false  bank  of  Newfoundland  (Terre  Neuve).  Porpoises 
came  in  great  numbers  close  to  our  bowsprit,  and  the  captain 
tried  to  kill  some  with  a  harpoon  without  succeeding,  however, 
since  the  ship  was  going  too  fast  and  the  fish  were  too  quick. 
No  fish  at  all  are  seen  in  the  open  sea,  so  long  as  no  bottom  can 
be  found,  some  few  sea  animals  excepted.  It  may  be  that  the 
salt  water  lacks  the  necessary  food  for  the  fish,  which  the  rivers 
furnish  from  the  mainland. 

Our  supply  of  beer  (small  beer)  was  exhausted,  and  from 
this  day  on  rum  was  furnished  instead  of  beer,  a  quart  daily  to 
six  men,  and  this  was  either  mixed  with  water,  and  taken  as  a 
punch,  or  drunk  after  the  water. 

MAY  IST.— Latitude  43°  42'.  N.  W.,  N.  E.,  E.  19  miles. 
A  thick  mist  arose,  which  assured  us  that  we  were  near  the 
bank,  for  it  is  said  to  be  covered  with  mist  at  all  times  of  the 
year.  Besides,  we  saw  a  great  number  of  birds,  cormorants,  and 
a  peculiar  kind  of  small  ducks  (Sarcellen)  which  were  catching 
fish  in  spite  of  the  negotiations  excluding  all  nations  except  the 
French  and  English  from  catching  fish  on  the  Bank  of  "Terre 
Neuve."  The  cormorants  are  grey  and  have  about  the  same 
shape  as  the  crow,  but  are  web-footed  like  ducks.  Their  croak 
ing  sounds  like  the  crying  of  a  cat.  No  other  bird  is  seen  on  the 
sea  except  the  sea  raven  (Courier  Marine),  which  is  black  and 
flies  close  to  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Towards  evening,  the  captain  cast  the  lead;  it  was  im 
possible,  however,  to  touch  the  bottom  even  with  124  fathoms. 

MAY  2ND. — Latitude  43°  57'.  N.  E.,  E.  46  miles.  The  fog 
did  not  lift.  The  fleet  became  entirely  scattered  since  it  was 
impossible  to  see  a  ship  even  when  close  by.  We  were  obliged 
to  have  our  guards  fire  the  cannon  every  fifteen  minutes  to  pre 
vent  a  collision.  Besides  a  drummer  had  to  be  on  deck  all  night 
long  and  beat  the  drum. 

The  "Juno"  gave  frequent  signals  with  cannon  shots  order 
ing  us  to  go  either  to  the  right  or  left  according  to  instructions 
received. 


28  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

MAY  3RD.— Latitude  44°  45'.  S.  E.,  S.  81  miles.  The  fog 
lifted  toward  noon.  Calculations  assured  us  that  we  were  on 
the  real  big  bank  of  Newfoundland  (Terre  Neuve).  The  lead 
was  cast  and  the  depth  was  found  to  be  32  fathoms.  We  short 
ened  sail,  and  with  great  delight  we  took  out  our  fishing  tackle. 
These  are  long  lines  on  the  end  of  which  hook's  are  fastened. 
Small  pieces  of  meat  are  put  on  these  hooks,  and  cannon  balls 
attached  hold  them  under  water.  Every  one  joined  in  and  was 
full  of  expectation,  and  in  about  twenty  minutes  we  saw  a  cod 
fish,  weighing  a  little  more  than  six  pounds,  brought  to  the  deck. 
This  fish  was  prepared  with  mustard  and  butter  at  evening;  a 
splendid  meal  for  us,  since  a  seafish,  especially  when  fresh  from 
the  water,  surpasses  all  other  kinds  of  food  in  delicacy.  A  king 
could  not  easily  be  happier  than  we  were  on  this  evening.  All 
the  provisions  we  had  brought  along  were  either  eaten  or,  for  the 
most  part,  spoiled.  The  rye  bread,  taken  on  board  in  Buxtehude, 
had  now  grown  entirely  moldy  after  it  had  kept  very  well  for 
six  weeks.  All  the  live  chickens  had  been  eaten,  either  in  soup 
or  roasted.  The  sheep  had  not  been  fed  well  for  some  time  and 
were  sick  from  want  of  food,  seasickness  or  scurvy,  so  tha% 
nobody  could  look  at  the  meat  without  repulsion,  much  less  eat. 
Under  these  dismal  circumstances  we  had  for  the  last  two  weeks 
shared  the  food  of  the  soldiers,  and  our  daily  meals  had  con 
sisted  of  pork  and  peas.  The  ship  biscuits  were  divided  with 
great  economy  among  the  officers  every  morning.  But  still  more 
unbearable  than  all  this  was  the  fact  that  the  water  had  become 
foul  and  had  a  bad  smell.  Whenever  we  wanted  to  drink  any, 
we  had  to  close  our  eyes  and  hold  our  noses,  because  it  had  a 
quite  reddish  appearance,  partly  from  insects,  and  partly  from 
the  new  oaken  casks,  which  looked  red. 

MAY  4TH. — Latitude  45°  18'.  S.,  S.  W.  103  nautical 
miles.  We  are  still  on  the  bank  and  the  weather  is  foggy.  We 
saw  some  penguins,  a  kind  of  large  water  birds  which  appear  to 
belong  to  the  goose  family  and  resemble  them  very  much.  Their 
color  is  dark  gray,  and  can  be  distinguished  from  other  birds 
easily  by  a  big  white  mark  which  surrounds  the  right  eye.  They 


Journal  of  Dit  Roi  the  Elder  29 

are  said  to  exist  only  on  this  bank  and  in  the  Hudson  Bay.  To 
day  we  also  saw  some  whales  quite  close.  One  came  to  the  sur 
face  of  the  water  from  underneath  our  ship  near  the  cabin.  A 
monster  at  least  one  hundred  feet  long  and  broad  in  proportion. 
He  squirted  up  a  column  of  water  about  fifty  feet  in  height.  We 
had  seen  these  fountains  several  times  at  a  distance.  The  whales 
swam  for  quite  a  time  on  the  surface  and  then  went  down  again, 
lifting  their  tails  very  high  out  of  the  sea. 

According  to  the  description  of  seafarers,  the  fish  which 
swallowed  the  famous  Jonah  and  sheltered  him  three  whole  days 
cannot  have  been  a  whale,  but  rather  a  shark,  and  there  was 
probably  a  mistake  made  in  the  translation.  The  mouth  of  the 
whale  is  too  small  to  swallow  a  man ;  it  is  not  at  all  in  proportion 
to  the  size  of  its  body.  The  whale  lives  on  the  oils  of  the  salt 
water  and  on  the  animals  living  in  it,  and  draws  in  its  food  with 
the  water  and  afterwards  expels  the  water  through  the  nostrils. 
The  shark,  however,  is  able  to  swallow  a  hole  man  without  in 
convenience,  and  to  bathe  in  the  ocean  is  dangerous  on  account 
of  this  fish.  Later  on  I  met  in  Quebec  an  English  merchant, 
Wadson,  by  name,  who  had  lived  in  the  West  Indies.  He  had 
been  pursued  by  a  shark  while  bathing  and  the  shark  had  bitten 
off  his  right  leg  above  the  knee.  If  a  dead  person  is  thrown 
overboard,  the  shark  will  follow  the  ship  during  the  whole  trip, 
and  particularly  they  are  said  to  follow  ships  loaded  with  negro 
slaves  coming  from  East  India,  of  whom  a  large  number  always 
die  each  trip. 

MAY  5TH.— Latitude  45°  36'.  S.  W.,  S.  27  miles.  In  the 
mist  five  of  our  boats  were  lost,  viz. :  "Harmonic,"  "Peggy" 
with  our  troops ;  "Woodland"  and  "Hopwell"  with  English  Artil 
lery;  "Maria  Martha"  with  Hessians  from  Hanau. 

MAY  6TH.— Latitude  45°  04'.  S.,  W.  to  N.  38  miles.  It 
was  remarkable  that  the  weather  turned  cold  in  spite  of  the  south 
wind  yesterday  and  today.  The  nearness  of  the  main  land  is 
without  doubt,  somewhat  responsible  for  this.  Snow  fell  and 
we  saw  some  huge  icebergs  coming  toards  us,  for  whose  visit 


30  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

we  were  much  concerned,  since  night  was  coming  on.     Toward 
noon  we  had  passed  Cape  Race. 

MAY  7TH. — Latitude  44°  29'.  W.,  N.  W.  51  miles.  The 
land  breezes  gave  a  sweet  odor  to  the  air  as  of  pine  trees.  At 
sunset  the  captain  took  the  amplitudes  with  a  compass  which  had 
diopters.  The  deflect  of  the  magnetic  needle  for  this  location 
was  21°  towards  the  west. 

MAY  STH. — Latitude  44°  58'.    N.,  N.  E.    32  nautical  miles. 

MAY  9TH.— Latitude  45°'  30'.  N.  N.  E.,  W.,  S.  W.  43 
miles.  Some  days  before,  as  soon  as  we  had  arrived  on  the 
bank,  at  night,  in  addition  to  the  day  watch,  we  placed  a  picket 
with  a  loaded  gun  on  deck,  to  keep  a  look-out  for  the  privateers 
of  the  rebels.  All  the  cannon  were  loaded,  and  everybody  re 
ceived  instructions  what  to  do  in  case  of  an  attack.  Besides  other 
duties,  I  had  the  supervision  as  master  of  ordnance  of  the  artil 
lery,  which  consisted  of  six  six-pounders.  The  two  frigates 
also  prepared  for  a  fight,  and  ramparts  were  made  for  the  ma 
rines  from  hammocks  with  bedding  inside  on  both  sides  of  the 
deck.  Hammocks  were  also  fastened  in  the  round-tops.  Even 
small  cannon  are  sometimes  taken  up  to  the  round-tops  during  a 
battle  in  order  to  sink  the  vessels  of  the  enemy. 

MAY  i OTH.— Latitude  45°  40'.  S.  S.  W.,  W.,  N.  E.,  E.  43 
nautical  miles. 

MAY  IITH. — Latiude  45°' 44'.  S.  S.  E.,  S.,  S.  W.,  W.  57 
miles. 

Whenever  the  wind  blew  from  the  south,  we  noticed 
that  the  sea  at  night  looked  like  fire — a  beautiful  sight.  It  was 
like  sailing  in  liquid  flame.  Especially  if  a  boat  went  fast  and 
cut  the  waves  with  full  force,  sparks  would  fly,  shedding  a  bright 
light  all  around.  Many  a  night  we  missed  our  sleep  on  account 
of  this  majestic  spectacle,  and  became  involved  in  extended  dis 
cussion  as  to  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon,  which  rarely  re 
sulted  in  a  definite  decision.  Some  thought  it  was  caused  by 
phosphorus  or  birophorus,  others  by  electricity,  and  that  the  pitch 
which  covered  the  ships  on  the  outside,  had  to  be  taken  into  con- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  31 

sideration.  Others  rejected  these  opinions,  and  substituted  the 
friction  of  the  oil  and  the  fire  particles  in  the  salt  water  as  the 
cause  of  the  light.  Our  captain,  however,  was  against  all  of 
these  views  and  said  that  it  was  nothing  but  the  animalculae  in 
the  water.  So  far  we  had  only  discussed  the  matter,  and  nobody 
had  thought  of  bringing  any  proof  or  evidence,  for  everyone  was, 
like  a  real  philosopher,  firm  in  his  own  opinion,  and  did  not  care 
to  see  himself  in  the  wrong.  The  time  had  come  to  ask  for 
proofs  as  we  soon  would  not  be  able  to  obtain  sea  water  for 
investigation,  and  this  night  again  the  phosphorescence  of  the 
water  was  particularly  bright.  A  bucket  full  of  water  was  hoisted, 
and  we  perceived  that  as  long  as  the  water  was  still,  no  light 
could  be  seen,  but  when  stirred,  it  was  so  full  of  sparks  that  it 
was  impossible  to  tell  whether  the  bucket  contained  more  water 
or  animalculae.  We  then  took  a  fine  handkerchief,  and  filtered 
the  whole  bucket  through  it,  until  not  a  spark  was  left  in  the 
water.  Then  we  took  what  remained  in  the  handkerchief  down 
stairs  into  the  cabin,  and  after  extinguishing  the  lights,  the  hand- 
kerchif  as  emptied  and  shed  forth  a  light,  as  it  were,  of  glowing 
coals  to  the  great  dismay  of  those  who  had  not  taken  part  in  this 
experiment,  because  the  powder  magazine  was  under  the  cabin. 
The  captain's  opinion  was  therefore  accepted,  and  the  general  con 
clusion  was  to  the  effect  that  it  was  animals  which  must  have 
under  the  belly  a  phosphorescent  spot  like  that  of  the  glow 
worm,  well  known  on  the  land.  We  regretted  very  much  that 
nobody  had  thought  of  taking  a  microscope  along  upon  embark 
ing,  so  as  to  be  able  to  examine  the  animals,  especially  since  we 
could  not  discover  anything  at  all  on  the  handkerchief  the  next 
morning  except  a  number  of  little  black  spots. 

MAY  1 2TH.— Latitude  46°  n'.  N.  W.,  W.,  S.  W.,  W.,  N. 
W.  54  nautical  miles.  On  account  of  the  adverse  winds,  we 
could  not  enter  the  gulf,  but  had  to  cruise  around  outside  to 
avoid  being  taken  back  by  the  wind. 

MAY  1 3TH.— Latitude  46°  30'.  N.  W.,  W.,  S.  W.  38  nau 
tical  miles.  We  passed  Cape  Briton.  Frequently  a  brown  plant 
floated  out  of  the  gulf,  which  the  English  call  "Tangle"  (Plan- 


32  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

tago  maritima,  Wegbreit).  The  inhabitants  of  the  coasts  of 
Scotland  eat  this  plant  prepared  like  cabbage. 

MAY  I4TH.— Latittude  47°  37'.  N.  W.,  S.  K,  S.  W.  The 
wind  being  favorable,  we  finally  entered  the  gulf  and  passed  by 
Cape  Ray.  Seals  (Loup  marin,  sea  wolf)  often  appeared  near 
our  ship,  and  we  tried  to  shoot  them. 

For  the  last  three  nights  at  nightfall  northern  lights,  which 
lasted  until  morning,  covered  the  whole  sky,  making  the  nights 
as  light  as  day. 

MAY  i STH.— Latitude  48°  if.  W.,  N.  W.,  N.  E.,  E.  74 
miles.  Today  our  men  received  rice  instead  of  oatmeal  for  the 
first  time. 

MAY  1 6xH.— Latittude  48°  38'.  S.  E.,  W.  N.  W.  41  nauti 
cal  miles.  We  passed  "Bird  Island." 

MAY  17111. — Latitude  48°  49'.  N.  W.  12  nautical  miles. 
The  number  of  miles  indicates  how  adverse  the  wind  was.  We 
tacked  continuously  near  the  Isle  of  Antecoste  without  being  able 
to  make  any  headway.  Antecoste  is  not  inhabited,  and  only  in 
summer  time  the  people  from  the  main  land  take  their  cattle  to 
the  island  for  pasture,  and  to  hunt.  Particularly  to  catch  the 
walrus  (Manetten),  which  often  stops  on  this  island  and  comes 
ashore  at  night.  The  walrus  has  two  crooked  teeth  protruding 
from  its  mouth.  These  teeth  are  used  by  them  to  cling  to  the 
cliffs,  and  in  this  way  they  draw  themselves  up  to  the  main 
land.* 

I  consider  these  "Manetten"  to  be  the  "sea  lions"  mentioned 
by  Commodore  Anson  in  his  sea  voyage.  We  came  pretty  close 
to  the  island  in  our  course,  and  I  had  an  opportunity  to  see 
Nature  in  all  her  rough  wilderness.  It  was  an  unusual,  dreadful 
sight  to  see  a  big  island  covered  with  thick  bushes  without  any 
path  or  road  whatever. 

MAY  i8TH.— N.  W.,  W.,  S.  E.  Still  near  Antecoste.  The 
cold,  which  commenced  on  May  6th,  had  continued  ever  since, 
but  it  never  had  been  quite  as  cold  as  today.  Much  snow  fell 


*  The  meat  of  the  walrus  is  eaten  and  the  tanned  skin  makes  the  strong 
est  carriage  straps. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  33 

and  stayed  on  the  deck  till  night,  when  it  commenced  to  freeze 
hard.  What  changes  of  weather  we  had  to  endure.  At  Stade 
and  Portsmouth  the  most  delightful  spring  days,  near  the  Azores 
the  very  hot  days,  and  now  this  cold. 

MAY  IQTH.— Latitude  48C'  53'.  N.  W.,  N.,  W.,  S.  W.  We 
passed  Cape  Rozier  and  entered  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  In  the 
gulf  the  color  of  the  water  changed  when  it  began  to  be  mixed 
with  the  fresh  water.  It  looked  now  reddish  instead  of  the 
beautiful  blue-green  of  the  Atlantic. 

MAY  2OTH. — Latitude  49°'  19'.  S.  S.  E.,  32  miles.  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  the  St.  Lawrence  River  is  the  largest  of  all 
rivers.  When  you  are  in  the  middle  it  is  hardly  possible  to  see 
the  coasts,  they  are  so  far  away. 

MAY  2 1 ST. — S.  E.,  E.,  N.  E.,  N.  87  nautical  miles.  We 
passed  Cape  Morte  (Cape  Death)  on  the  right,  and  afterwards 
on  the  left  Cape  Chat.  On  the  left  we  saw  on  the  coasts  of 
Nova  Scotia  the  big  mountains  of  Notre  Dame  (Our  Lady's 
Mountains),  still  covered  with  snow,  and  almost  surpassing  in 
height  our  famous  "Brocken."  On  the  right  was  the  land  of  the 
Eskimos  (Pais  Labrador).  The  Eskimos  are  less  civilized  than 
most  other  nations,  and  every  effort  to  enter  into  business  trans 
actions  with  them  has  failed  because  they  are  too  shy  and  sus 
picious.  They  are  said  to  be  short  and  live  from  hunting  and 
fishing. 

The  products  of  Labrador  are  said  to  be  few,  and  this  may 
be  the  chief  reason  why  no  trade  could  be  established  with  these 
people.  In  summer  they  go  fishing,  venturing  in  their  little 
canoes,  made  of  the  bark  of  trees,  even  upon  the  high  seas.  The 
boats  are  covered  with  seal  skins,  which  the  Eskimo  in  the  boat 
ties  around  his  body  under  the  arms  to  keep  the  water  from 
coming  into  the  boat,  and  rows  on.  If  a  storm  overtakes  him, 
he  crawls  under  the  skin,  fastening  it  at  the  top,  eats  the  pro 
visions  which  he  has  taken  along  in  the  canoe,  sleeps  and  allows 
himself  to  be  tossed  about  on  the  sea  for  days,  until  he  notices 
the  wind  has  abated.  Then  he  comes  out  again  and  continues 
his  trip. 


34  Journal  of  Dn  Roi  the  Elder 

MAY  22  ND. — N.  W.,  W.,  W.  S.  W.  Toward  evening,  two 
English  soldiers  of  the  regiment  which  embarked  in  Glasgow, 
fell  overboard  from  the  ship  which  had,  by  mistake,  joined  our 
fleet.  The  sails  were  lowered  at  once  and  two  boats  let  down 
to  rescue  the  men,  but  in  vain,  for  the  current  was  too  swift. 

MAY  23RD. — E.,  calm,  N.  E.,  E.,  W.  A  schooner  (goelette) 
met  us  with  full  sails,  which  was  bound  with  news  for  Europe. 
An  hour  afterwards,  the  "Blonde"  came  close  to  our  vessels  and 
General  Bourgoyne  was  so  polite  as  to  inform  us  through  the 
speaking  tube  that  the  siege  of  Quebec  had  been  raised.  As  soon 
as  Commodore  Douglass  had  arrived  at  the  dock  with  three  men- 
of-war,  and  had  brought  some  reinforcements  to  the  fortress, 
General  Carleton  had  made  an  attack  the  same  day,  damaged  the 
trenches  of  the  enemy,  and  had  taken  some  hundred  prisoners, 
after  which  the  rebels  had  left  the  place  and  gone  to  Montreal. 

MAY  24TH.— W.  to  S.,  N.  W.,  W.  S.  W.  Still  adverse 
wind.  We  continually  had  the  mountains  of  Notre  Dame  and 
Cape  Chat  in  sight.  For  the  last  few  days  we  had  been  obliged 
to  tack  continually  to  prevent  being  driven  back.  This  night 
the  current  had  taken  us  back  about  15  miles  in  spite  of  all  our 
precautions. 

MAY  25TH. — W.  to  S.,  calm  E.  to  N.  Since  the  wind  had 
become  favorable  we  were  able  to  go  ahead  again,  and  in  the 
evening  the  anchor  was  dropped  between  the  little  Island  of  Bic 
and  Cape  St.  Bernabe,  the  first  time  April  4th.  We  met  here  the 
frigate  "Surprise,"  which  had  returned  from  Quebec  to  guard 
our  course  up  the  river.  Two  officers  came  on  board  at  once,  and 
brought  us  the  information  that  the  siege  of  Quebec  had  been 
raised  for  some  time  and  that  the  rebels  had  left.  Commodore 
Douglass  had  arrived  at  Quebec  on  May  6th  with  the  "Isis,"  a  50 
cannon  ship,  and  two  frigates,  "Le  Martin"  and  "Surprise," 
although  the  St.  Lawrence  was  still  covered  with  ice,  which  had  to 
be  cut  away  from  the  bowsprit  with  iron  rods.  After  having  re 
ceived  reinforcement  with  the  English  regiment  No.  29,  Gen 
eral  Carleton  had  at  once  ventured  an  attack  with  800  men  and 
had  succeeded  in  destroying  the  batteries  of  the  rebels.  Besides 
he  had  captured  fifteen  large  pieces  and  three  mortars.  He  had 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  35 

also  made  300  prisoners  and  had  forced  the  rebels  to  give  up 
the  siege. 

In  this  attack,  the  rebel  General  Arnold  himself  was 
wounded,  who  only  eight  weeks  before  had  brought  fresh  troops 
(about  1000  men),  in  spite  of  deep  snow  and  dreadful  cold,  by 
way  of  Kennebeck,  through  the  Pass  La  Nouvelle  Beauce,  or 
Latigan,  to  force  Quebec  before  the  arrival  of  the  army.  The 
siege  had  continued  with  the  greatest  persistence  and  without  in 
terruption  the  whole  winter  through,  notwithstanding  the  bad 
weather,  because  the  conquest  of  Quebec  would  have  been  very 
decisive  for  the  rebels. 

The  fleet,  which  had  strated  from  Glasgow  and  Cork,  had 
passed  the  Isle  of  Bic  the  day  before,  also  five  ships  of  our  fleet, 
presumably  "Lord  Sandwich,"  "Peggy,"  "Harmonic,"  "Nancy" 
and  "Polly." 

MAY  26TH.— E.  to  N.,  variable,  W.,  W.  S.  W.  We  rode  at 
anchor  here,  because  the  wind  was  against  us  and  very  violent. 
Besides,  the  ships  ought  to  assemble  before  going  farther.  To 
ward  evening,  General  Bourgoyne  left  the  "Blonde"  and  went  on 
board  the  "Surprise,"  in  order  to  go  in  advance  to  the  first  fleet, 
and  to  take  command  of  it.  At  10  o'clock  the  "Juno"  gave  the 
signal  to  set  sail  and  we  weighed  anchor  about  midnight  and 
sailed  on  up  the  river. 

MAY  27TH. — W.  S.  W.,  calm,  N.  E  We  passed  on  the  left 
the  Green  Isle,  on  the  right  the  White  Isle,  the  Red  Isle 
and  Hare's  Isle;  small  islands,  all  uninhabited.  From  now 
on  we  began  to  see  houses,  but  only  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river,  where  Camouraska,  the  first  "Paroise"  is  situated.  The 
porpoises,  which  we  met  in  the  river,  were  white  on  account  of 
the  fresh  water  being  mixed  with  the  salt.  In  the  sea  these  fish 
are  brown. 

MAY  28xH. — N.  E.,  variable,  S.  We  dropped  anchor  in 
the  roads  of  the  Isle  of  Aux  Coudrais,  as  the  depth  of  the  water 
here  was  26  fathoms,  and  as  we  greatly  feared  that  we  would 
break  loose  because  of  the  raging  storm,  it  being  too  deep  for 
good  anchorage,  which  must  not  exceed  14  fathoms.  We  ad 
vanced  between  the  island  to  the  left,  and  the  main  land  into  the 


36  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Bay  of  St.  Paul,  and  there  dropped  anchor.  From  here  on,  the 
north  side  of  the  river  also  begins  to  be  populated. 

MAY  2QTH. — S.  W.,  W.,  N.  W.  We  remained  at  anchor 
and  took  pilots  on  board  to  take  us  up  the  river,  which  is  full 
of  treacherous  rocks.  The  pilots  live  on  the  island,  and  our  pilot, 
an  old  respectable  Frenchman  of  about  81  years,  by  the  name  of 
Du  Four,  came  of  a  family  of  12  children  which  were  all  alive. 
He  himself  had  several  children,  grandchildren  and  great-grand- 
childreri.  He  asked  us  to  visit  him  at  his  home.  I  went  with  the 
captain  in  a  small  boat  to  the  island  which  has  about  400  in 
habitants,  or  64  familes,  and  has  been  cultivated  for  sixty  years. 
It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  see  nature  in  her  first  childhood. 
Everybody  was  unaffected,  good  hearted,  considerate  and  well 
mannered,  without  vice  or  deception.  How  much  I  regretted  not 
to  have  bought  a  few  trinkets  in  Europe  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  the  delight  and  touching  gratitude  of  these  good  people. 
A  few  colored  garters,  knives,  collar  buttons  and  other  trinkets 
were  admired  and  accepted  with  the  greatest  delight.  Of  the 
garters,  one  was  destined  to  adorn  a  Sunday  hat,  the  other  one 
was  for  ordinary  use.  The  presents  for  the  men  consisted  of 
powder  and  lead,  which  were  considered  as  a  treasure.  There 
were  a  few  rifles  on  the  island,  but  the  usual  manner  of  hunting 
was  with  bows  and  arrows,  with  which  they  were  very  skilful. 

I  am  not  sure  whether  it  was  the  unusual  sight  of  crude 
nature,  or  the  long  journey  which  caused  the  deep  impression 
upon  my  heart  which  I  felt  on  this  day.  But  I  know  that  I 
never  felt  so  much  at  rest  and  such  bliss  as  on  this  day,  and  how 
small  appeared  in  my  eyes  the  happiness  of  the  highly  cultivated 
and  polished  inhabitants  of  the  world  compared  with  the  native 
goodness  of  heart  and  the  simple  life  of  these  people. 

In  this  place  I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  sugar  mapk 
(Erable  a  sucre),  from  the  sap  of  which  when  cooked,  a  brown 
sugar  is  made.  We  took  several  pounds  of  this  sugar  back  with 
us  on  board  as  a  sample.  I  also  found  here  the  plane  tree 
(Erable  a  feuille  de  Tilleul),  the  tree  (Merisier),  the  larch  tree 
the  white  pine  (pin  blanc),  the  white  Canadian  fir  tree  (Epinette 
blanche),  the  vinegar  tree  (Vinaigrier),  and  others. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  37 

MAY  3OTH. — W.  S.  W.  Toward  noon  we  left  this  island 
and  sailed  some  miles  farther  up  the  river  and  cast  anchor  on  the 
shore  to  the  right  to  wait  for  the  tide. 

At  2  o'clock  at  night,  with  high  tide,  the  anchor  was 
weighed  and  we  set  sail  and  anchored  again  off  the  Isle  or  Or 
leans.  We  had  passed  without  accident  the  Traverses,  a  very  nar 
row  strait  between  cliffs  and  rocks,  considered  very  dangerous. 
The  Isle  of  Orleans  has  been  inhabited  for  the  last  200  years,  and 
people  settled  there  at  the  same  time  that  the  city  of  Quebc  was 
founded.  The  soil  is  very  fertile,  and  the  land  is  better  cultivated 
than  on  the  Island  of  Aux  Coudrais  where  there  are  not  enough 
people  to  do  the  work.  The  island  is  covered  with  houses  and 
churches,  all  built  of  stone,  in  which  the  rocky  coast  abounds. 
I  saw  little  wood,  however,  the  trees  having  been  cut  down  to 
make  a  clearing. 

The  manners  of  the  people  were  more  polished  and  cour 
teous,  after  the  manner  of  their  ancestors.  Near  the  island  are 
six  other  small  ones  all  as  yet  uninhabited.  Some  time  ago,  the 
Bishop  of  Canada  had  an  assistant  named  d'Esgly,  Bishop  of 
Dorilee,  who  lived  on  this  island. 

JUNE  IST.— N.  W.,  W.  S.  W.  At  i  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  we  weighed  anchor  and  arrived  at  6  o'clock  in  the  evening 
in  the  roadstead  of  Quebec,  where  we  cast  anchor  between  the 
town  and  Pointe  Levy.  Here  we  met  all  the  ships  which  had 
been  separated  from  the  fleet  with  the  exception  of  the  "Har- 
monie."  This  boat  had  joined  the  first  fleeet  and  had  already 
gone  with  it  farther  up  the  river.  We  also  met  the  man-of-war 
"Isis"  with  Commodore  Douglass  on  board,  and  the  frigates 
"Surprise,"  "Perle"  und  "Lizard."  Our  loss  of  men  during  the 
voyage  was  only  one  non-commissioned  officer  and  eight  soldiers 
who  had  died  on  board. 

JUNE  3RD. — We  went  to  Quebec  to  pay  our  respects  to  His 
Excellency,  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  Governor-General  of  Canada  and 
Commander  in  Chief  of  the  army.  We  received  orders  here 
that  the  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  and  the  Dragoons  were  to  take 
up  their  quarters  at  Quebec  and  to  be  in  readiness  to  land. 


38  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

JUNE  5TH. — We  went  to  town  now  every  morning  to  pay 
our  respects  to  the  Governor-General,  and  today  I  witnessed  the 
reception  of  a  delegation  of  four  nations  of  Indians,  namely: 
the  Algonquins  (Algonkins)  Micmacs  (Mickmacks),  Anies  and 
Hurons,  who  were  received  in  public  audience  by  the  general. 
The  four  chiefs  of  these  nations  had  been  asked  to  serve  against 
the  rebels,  and  came  to  offer  their  services.  These  were  the  first 
Indians  I  had  ever  seen,  and  therefore  the  ceremony  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  me.  The  savages  are  tall,  muscular,  brownish- 
yellow  people.  The  greatest  difference  from  the  European  is 
noticed  in  the  shape  of  the  head.  Their  eyes  have  a  remarkable 
brilliancy  and  fire.  The  face,  neck  and  clothing  is  covered  with 
red  paint,  and  each  tribe  has  its  peculiar  style  of  applying  it.  The 
hair  is  shaved  off  the  front  part  of  the  head  and  the  short  lock 
which  remains  hangs  down  behind  in  a  braid,  adorned  with 
ornaments.  The  outer  rims  of  their  ears  are  cut  off  in  infancy, 
but  in  the  lobes  they  wear  big  silver  ear-rings  which  are  so  heavy 
that  the  skin  is  pulled  down  almost  to  their  shoulders.  They  also 
wear  rings  in  their  noses.  They  gesticulate  with  their  hands  a 
great  deal  when  talking,  and  their  talk  reminds  me  of  the  barking 
of  a  dog. 

After  the  ceremony  was  over,  the  general  ordered  uniforms 
of  the  Canadian  militia,  without  trousers,  however,  for  these 
chiefs,  and  presented  them  with  big  silver  medallions  upon 
which  the  likeness  of  the  king  was  stamped. 

JUNE  6xH. — In  the  morning  the  Dragoons  disembarked,  and 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Baum  was  appointed  commander  of  Quebec. 
The  horses  on  board  the  "Martha"  were  also  landed  toward  noon 
and  sent  to  the  village  Beauport.  On  the  4th  of  June  all  trans 
ports  with  English  troops  on  board  had  gone  farther  up  the 
river.  Today,  toward  evening,  the  German  troops  with  their 
ships  also  left  to  join  the  army.  With  them  went  the  Generals 
Carleton,  Bourgoyne  and  von  Riedesel. 

JUNE  7TH. — The  English  garrison  marched  from  Quebec, 
also  Colonel  M'Clean's  regiment,  to  join  the  main  army.  The 
latter  and  the  English  regiments  Nos.  29,  47,  52,  with  300  sav 
ages  marched  up  the  St.  Lawrence  River  on  the  south  side  to 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  39 

assist  in  laying  siege  to  Fort  Sorel.  Our  regiment  had  to  stay 
on  the  ships  for  some  time,  because  the  barracks  needed  repair 
ing.  However,  the  guards  were  taken  to  the  city  every  day. 

JUNE  I4TH. — On  this  day  in  the  afternoon,  the  regiment 
Prince  Friedrich  disembarked,  and  we  were  glad  to  exchange  at 
last  our  quarters  on  ship  for  the  garrison  in  Quebec  after  having 
been  on  board  ninety  days.  The  regiment  formed  in  line  on  the 
river  front  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  and  marched  with 
flying  colors  to  the  fortress.  It  is  certainly  true,  that  these  regi 
ments  in  Quebec  were  the  first  Germans  who  set  foot  on  Ameri 
can  soil  after  the  discovery  of  the  fourth  continent  by  Columbus, 
with  closed  ranks  and  colors  flying  and  fully  armed,  a  fact 
which  deserves  to  be  noted  in  history.  The  regiment  was  quar 
tered  in  the  barracks  near  the  gate  at  St.  Jean,  except  the  com 
pany  under  Major  Hille  and  the  under  staff,  which  had  quarters 
in  the  Seminary,  where  48  officers  of  the  rebels  were  imprisoned. 
Convents  and  large  houses  had  to  be  used  for  the  soldiers,  as  the 
barracks  of  the  garrison  did  not  have  sufficient  room.  The 
English  recruits  already  had  their  quarters  in  the  monastery  of 
the  Bare  footed  Friars  (Recolets,  Minoriten),and  the  "Collegium" 
of  the  Jesuits,  a  large  building  on  the  market  place,  was  being  re 
built  for  barracks,  inasmuch  as  not  more  than  five  monks  in  their 
garb,  probably  the  last  of  a  once  widely  spread  society,  lived  in 
the  convent  to  await  death  in  this  building  without  adding  novices. 
With  them  would  be  extinguished  an  order  which  the  good  things 
of  this  world  had  made  great,  but  also  brought  to  ruin.  The 
Jesuits  once  owned  valuable  property  in  Canada,  but  now  the 
Government  has  the  administration  of  it. 

JUNE  20TH. — The  army  had  pushed  forward  to  forts  Sorel 
and  St.  John.  The  rebels  had  left  Canada  and  fled  across  Lake 
Champlain  to  Fort  Frederick  (Crown  Point),  where  they  forti 
fied  themselves.  Preparations  were  made  to  go  with  the  army 
over  Lake  Champlain  (Lac  Chambly),  and  to  pursue  the  rebels, 
for  which  purpose  a  large  number  of  flat  boats  were  being 
built.  Fourteen  frigates,  each  with  12  cannon,  also  floating  bat 
teries  made  of  strong  beams,  were  put  on  the  lake,  partly  to  pro 
tect  the  boats  and  partly  to  operate  against  the  fleet  of  the  rebels. 


4°  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

This  expedition  was  delayed,  chiefly  on  account  of  a  water 
fall  near  the  outlet  of  the  Lacs,*  which  in  some  parts  is  only  4 
feet  deep.  Since  it  was  impossible  to  pass  the  fall,  the  vessels 
had  to  be  taken  on  rollers  over  land  for  more  than  a  German 
mile,  a  very  difficult  undertaking.  The  frigates  had  to  be  taken 
to  the  lake  in  parts.  During  this  time  the  troops  either  camped 
out,  or  were  quartered  in  the  villages  around  the  lake.  The 
Brunswick  troops  under  General  von  Riedesel  were  given  quar 
ters  in  "La  Prarrie  de  la  Madelaine." 

Our  soldiers  suffered  terribly  from  scurvy,  a  result  of  the 
ocean  trip,  and  many  died  the  early  part  of  the  time,  particularly 
in  the  garrison  of  Quebec. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  CITY  OF  QUEBEC. 

The  city  of  Quebec  is  one  of  the  three  cities  of  the  provinces 
of  Canada  (which  the  St.  Lawrence  River  divides  from  south 
west  to  northeast)  and  may  be  called  the  capital  of  this  province, 
when  compared  with  Montreal  and  Trois  Rivieres.  The  location 
of  Quebec  is  306°  30'  longitude  and  46°  55'  latitude,  on  an 
isthmus  formed  by  the  St.  Lawrence  and  St.  Charles  Rivers. 
It  is  divided  into  the  upper  and  lower  town.  The  former  is 
situated  on  a  high,  steep  rock  and  is  fortified.  To  the  south 
west,  on  the  land  side,  are  four  whole  and  two  half  ramparts, 
entirely  revetted  (revetirt)  without  any  outside  fortifications 
(which,  however,  would  be  especially  necessary  on  this  side). 
The  fort  was  built  by  the  French  in  a  very  incomplete  and  old- 
fashioned  manner,  and  is  now  quite  dilapidated,  as  no  repairs 
were  made  while  it  was  in  the  possession  of  the  English  and  prob 
ably  few  before  that  time.  In  some  places  you  even  have  to  hunt 
for  traces  of  a  dried  out  moat.  On  this  side  three  gates  open 
towards  the  country,  viz. ;  Porte  St.  Louis,  St.  Jean  and  Porte  de 
Palais  Gate.  The  part  toward  the  lower  city  has  been  protected 
for  the  last  few  years  with  palisades  on  the  rock  and  here  and 
there  some  log  ramparts.  Here  is  the  sally-port  opening  toward 
the  lower  city.  It  was  unnecessary  to  fortify  the  part  facing  the 


*Fort  between  St.  John  and  Chambly. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  41 

St.  Lawrence  River,  the  banks  being  so  steep  and  high  that  an 
attack  is  impossible.  Behind  a  low  trench  a  line  of  cannon  and 
mortars  has  been  placed  to  attack  the  batteries  at  Point  Levy, 
on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  which  were  directed 
by  the  enemy  against  the  city. 

This  part  of  the  fort,  where  the  cannon  are,  is  protected  on 
the  right  by  Cape  Diamant  upon  which  is  the  old  Fort  St.  Louis, 
built  of  stone  during  the  first  French  occupation  of  settlers  in 
Canada,  on  the  highest  point  of  the  rock,  overlooking  the  river 
and  all  the  adjoining  heights.  From  Fort  St.  Louis  the  big 
English  flag  can  always  be  seen  flying.  It  is  only  taken  down  at 
night  with  the  first  shot  of  the  evening  gun  (retraite-schuss)  or 
during  a  thunderstorm,  but  is  hoisted  every  morning  at  the  first 
call  for  reveille.  All  passing  ships  have  to  salute  the  flag. 

The  churches  are  situated  in  the  upper  town.  The  cathedral 
on  the  market  place,  with  the  seminary  for  the  priests  close  by, 
where,  also,  the  Bishop  of  Canada  has  his  residence,  because 
part  of  the  revenues  of  the  seminary  go  toward  his  income.  The 
church  and  "Collegium"  of  the  Jesuits  are  also  on  the  market 
place;  the  church  and  convent  of  the  Barefooted  Friars  (Reco- 
lets)  on  the  "Place  d'armes"  just  opposite  the  castle,  the  resi 
dence  of  the  Governor  General;  the  church  and  the  convent  of 
the  "Urselines";  the  church  in  the  "Hotel  de  Dieu"  with  the 
hospital;  the  former  chapel  and  the  palace  of  the  bishop.  The 
chapel  had  lately  been  used  as  a  store  house  for  flour,  but  is  now 
being  restored  at  the  king's  expense  so  that  it  can  be  used  for 
divine  service  for  the  German  troops. 

The  prevailing  religion  in  Canada  is,  as  is  well  known,  the 
Roman  Catholic.  The  English  congregation  in  Quebec  holds 
its  services  alternately  with  the  Roman  Catholics  in  the  church  of 
the  "Recolets."  All  the  churches  as  well  as  the  houses  are  fairly 
well  built,  and  of  stone,  a  material  easily  supplied,  because  the 
black  and  grey  limestone,  of  which  rocks  are  composed,  is  to  be 
had  in  great  abundance.  Only  the  roofs  are  covered  with  boards 
or  shingles,  excepting  some  churches,  covered  with  slate  imported 
rrom  Europe.  This  is  done  because  the  slate  found  in  Canada 
is  mixed  with  particles  of  chalk,  which  cause  it  to  disintegrate 


42  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

and  fall  to  pieces  when  exposed  to  the  air.  The  manufacture  of 
baked  tiles  seems  to  be  entirely  unknown. 

In  the  upper  town  are  the  residences  of  the  wealthy,  the 
king's  servants  and  the  artisans.  The  lower  town,  however,  is 
inhabited  by  the  merchants  and  sailors.  Quebec  is  the  only  city 
in  the  province  with  important  trade  and  docks.  In  the  market 
place  in  the  lower  town  is  a  chapel,  called  the  sailors  church. 
Merchandise  for  export  consists  chiefly  of  furs,  skins,  dried  and 
salt  fish,  cod-liver  oil,  seal  skins,  horses,  cattle  and  particularly 
grain,  while  the  English  import  those  goods  classed  among  the 
luxuries  of  life,  as  cloth,  linen  and  woolen  goods.  No  factories 
for  these  things  have  so  far  been  established  in  Canada,  and  the 
English  do  not  encourage  them,  as  it  would  not  be  to  their  ad 
vantage.  For  the  convenience  of  commerce  ships  can  lie  both 
in  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Charles  Rivers,  quite  near  the  houses 
and  warhouses  of  the  lower  town.  Although  Quebec  is  120 
miles  (Lieues)  away  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  not  consider 
ing  the  gulf,  high  and  low  tide  is  very  noticeable.  The  difference 
is  sometimes  18  to  19  feet.  At  spring  tide,  and  when  the  wind 
blows  from  the  northwest,  the  water  rises  even  more  than  22 
feet. 

There  are  also  two  ruined  suburbs  on  the  land  side,  St. 
Roche,  situated  outside  the  Porte  de  Palais  Gate  and  St.  Jean. 
In  St.  Roche,  the  foundation  of  the  palace  of  the  former  French 
superintendent  of  Canada,  can  still  be  seen.  Here  the  high 
courts  were  held.  St.  Jean  is  situated  outside  the  gate  of  St.  Jean 
on  the  road  to  Montreal.  St.  Roche  was  destroyed  in  the  siege 
of  1760,  and  St.  Jean  was  devastated  during  the  siege  of  last  year. 
Near  these  suburbs  on  the  Charles  River,  an  English  mile  from 
the  city,  is  the  large  hospital  and  convent  of  the  nuns  belonging 
to  the  order  of  St.  Augustine. 

The  external  structure  of  the  houses  in  the  city  is  fairly 
good,  but  the  walls  inside  are  nothing  but  pine  and  hemlock 
boards,  which  breed  and  nourish  the  most  disagreeable  insect, 
the  bedbug;  unquestionably  one  of  the  greatest  of  Canada's  land 
plagues,  as  hardly  a  single  house  is  free  from  them. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  43 

The  furnishing  of  the  houses  is  still  worse.  A  bed,  a  dozen 
chairs,  a  few  tables,  are  considered  sufficient  furniture  for  a 
house  with  five  or  six  rooms.  Nevertheless  high  living  and  lazi 
ness  are  indulged  in  to  a  high  degree,  consequently  not  much 
wealth  is  found,  although  the  mode  of  living  is  showy  and  extra 
vagant. 

There  is  a  Scottish  Lodge  in  Quebec,  and  the  free  masons 
bury  their  dead  with  great  ceremony. 

The  ascent  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  town  is  very  steep, 
and  only  one  road  exists  over  which  carriages  and  wagons  can 
go.  It  had  been  necessary  to  blast  the  rock,  when  this  road  was 
made. 

On  account  of  these  steep  roads,  only  carts  are  used  for 
driving,  and  the  wealthy  people  use  "cariolen,"  called  "caleschen" 
instead  of  carriages.  The  only  coach  in  all  Canada  was  brought 
over  from  England  by  General  Carleton.  Almost  every  married 
woman  in  the  burgher  class  has  a  "calesche"  and  ladies  must 
have  a  negro  for  a  coachman,  whose  wages  amount  to  50-60 
guineas,  even  if  he  is  only  a  boy. 

Horses  are  treated  cruelly.  They  always  have  to  go  on  a 
gallop  in  spite  of  the  poor  food  they  get,  grass  during  the  sum 
mer  and  hay  in  winter.  I  have  seldom  seen  a  more  sturdy  breed 
of  horses  than  these.  They  are  very  much  like  the  horses  of 
Normandy,  just  as  heavily  built  and  as  nervous.  The  cause  of 
this  is  probably  the  fact  that  horses  and  cattle  were  brought 
over  to  Canada  from  France  in  the  beginning.  Besides  horses, 
large  dogs  are  used  to  draw  small  carts,  which  encourages  the 
laziness  of  the  people  still  more.  All  necessaries,  coal,  wood, 
groceries,  etc.,  are  carried  around  in  the  city  by  these  dogs.  They 
also  have  to  haul  wood  and  the  water  from  the  river,  because  the 
well  water  in  the  city  cannot  be  used  on  account  of  the  minerals 
which  it  contains.  I  have  often  seen,  with  pity,  a  hard-hearted 
boy  driving  a  heavily  loaded  dog  uphill  with  the  whip,  although 
the  beast  with  his  tongue  lolling  out,  did  its  best.  What  a  happy 
lot  the  dogs  in  Europe  have  compared  with  these  poor  dogs ;  they 
are  almost  better  off  than  their  masters. 


44  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Money  is  valued  in  Canada  according  to  the  Halifax  cur 
rency,  and  a  guinea  is  worth  23  shillings  and  4  pence.  Coins  in 
circulation  are  mostly  Spanish.  French  silver  pieces  are  also 
used.  English  silver  money  is  rarely  seen.  The  Spanish  Piaster 
(Pezza  da  Otto)  value  8  reales,  de  Plata  Mexicana,  is  valued  at  5 
shillings,  Halifax  currency.  On  the  other  hand,  8  reales,  or 
one  piaster  de  Plata  Provincial,  which  has  less  value,  is  worth  only 
4  shillings,  Halifax.  The  large  French  "Laubthaler"  has  the 
same  value  as  the  English  Crown,  viz. :  5  shillings  6  pence.  One 
"Livre"  is  worth  10  pence.  The  peasant  is  still  in  the  habit  of 
reckoning  by  francs. 

All  the  gold  coins  are  Portuguese,  and  one  half  "Portu- 
galaser"  (Portugais)  (John)  is  worth  8  Piaster  or  £2  Halifax, 
and  the  "Moe  d'or"  (Lisbonnine)  6  Piaster  or  £1^2,  Halifax. 
English  guineas  are  rarely  seen,  except  during  the  war.  How 
ever,  they  are  soon  taken  back  in  a  few  years  by  the  English  trade. 
I  have  good  reason  to  say  "by  the  English  trade,"  because  the 
income  of  the  Crown  is  very  small  in  Canada.  It  consists  of  the 
proceeds  of  a  tax  of  a  few  pence  a  year  on  chimneys,  the  amount 
obtained  from  granting  the  privilege  to  sell  liquor  at  retail  and 
the  income  of  the  postal  service,  which  does  not  amount  to 
much.  This  is  used  for  the  most  part  for  the  salaries  of  the 
crown  servants.  It  may  well  be  said  that  the  possession  of 
Canada  would  be  more  of  a  disadvantage  than  otherwise  to 
England,  if  the  trade  did  not  make  up  for  it. 

About  thirty  years  ago  the  French  government  was  of  the 
same  opinion  with  regard  to  Canada.  Especially  at  that  time  and 
up  to  the  time  when  they  lost  this  country,  the  fur  business  was 
carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  the  king  only,  which  trade  has  been 
free  to  all  since  the  beginning  of  the  English  government.  The 
English  merchants  are  not  ashamed  to  acknowledge  that  they  re 
ceive  40-50  per  cent,  on  all  import  goods,  and  still  more  on  the 
exports,  while  furs  bring  from  80-100  per  cent.,  because  they 
can  make  prices  for  their  own  advantage,  while  other  nations 
are  excluded  from  all  trade  in  Canada.  Besides,  all  strange  ves 
sels  coming  up  the  St.  Lawrence  River  are  captured  and  con 
sidered  good  booty. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  45 

JULY  28iH. — Today  I  went  to  see  the  "Saut  de  Montmo- 
renci,"  the  sight  of  which  had  delighted  us  on  our  arrival  in  the 
roads  of  Quebec.  The  Montmorenci  River,  a  rather  large 
stream,  about  100  yards  wide,  falls  down  a  cliff  180  feet  into  the 
St.  Lawrence  near  the  village  of  Beauport,  about  two  leagues 
from  Quebec,  just  opposite  the  west  point  of  the  Isle  of  Orleans. 
The  current  of  the  river  is  very  swift,  and  the  water  comes  down 
with  such  force  that  a  continuous  mist  spreads  for  some  distance 
on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  mist  is  so  thick  that  if 
you  go  too  near,  you  will  be  wet  through  to  the  skin  as  from  a 
heavy  rain. 

JULY  3OTH. — We  observed  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  this  even 
ing  and  found  that  our  calculations  in  regard  to  the  difference  in 
the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun  here  and  in  Brunswick,  5  hours 
and  24  minutes,  were  correct.  A  Gottingen  calendar  brought 
from  Europe,  gave  the  beginning  of  the  eclipse  in  Gottingen  at 
10.48,  and  the  total  eclipse  at  11.48.  At  1.24  the  moon  was  to 
come  out  from  behind  the  shadow  of  the  earth.  The  end  of  the 
eclipes  was  to  come  at  2.24. 

According  to  our  observations  the  beginning  of  the  eclipse 
was  to  be  expected  at  5.21,  and  the  total  eclipse  at  6.21.  Since 
however,  it  was  impossible  to  make  these  observations  here  at 
that  time  of  the  day,  we  had  to  wait  until  it  grew  dark  at  about 
8  o'clock,  when  the  moon  began  to  come  out  of  the  shadow  again. 
The  end  of  the  eclipse  occurred  at  9.03.  Our  calculation  of  5 
hours  and  24  minutes  proved  to  be  correct  as  three  minutes  may 
be  assumed  to  be  the  difference  in  longitude  between  Brunswick 
and  Gottingen. 

AUGUST  2ND. — In  order  to  get  an  idea  of  the  domestic  life 
of  the  Indians,  I  went  to  Old  and  New  Loretto,  two  villages  about 
three  leagues  from  Quebec,  inhabited  by  the  nation  of  the 
Hurons,  converted  long  since  to  the  Roman  Catholic  religion. 
Among  themselves  they  use  their  savage  language,  but  constant 
intercourse  with  the  nearby  city  has  brought  it  about  that  most  of 
them  speak  French,  though  poorly,  and  in  a  form  as  mixed  as 


46  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

their  customs,  manners  and  clothing.  Our  officers  gained  the 
friendship  of  their  chief,  Outagas,  in  whose  narratives  I  took 
great  pleasure. 

AUGUST  6xH. — Up  to  this  date  500  rebels  had  been  im 
prisoned  here;  they  were  either  taken  prisoners  during  the  siege 
while  sallying  forth,  or  afterwards  in  the  retreat.  They  were  all 
set  free  by  a  special  act  of  grace  of  General  Carleton,  and  em 
barked  today  to  go  back  to  their  own  provinces.  Among  them 
were  General  Thomson,  Colonel  Erwin  and  48  officers.  The 
general,  the  colonel,  15  officers  and  150  privates  were  taken  on 
board  the  "Prince  of  Wales"  (which  had  brought  us  to  Quebec), 
and  started  for  New  York  without  any  other  convoy  than  one 
frigate.  These  prisoners  lead  me  to  speak  of  the  siege  of  Que 
bec,  which  the  rebels  had  kept  up  uninterruptedly  the  whole 
winter,  notwithstanding  the  bitter  cold  and  deep  snow.  They 
would  surely  have  taken  possession  of  the  fortress,  if  they  had 
succeeded  in  their  attack  of  the  3ist  of  December,  1775,  or  if 
their  general  Montgomery  had  not  been  shot  during  this  attack. 

Montgomery  had  served  as  captain  in  the  English  army 
before  and  during  the  last  war.  He  was  an  Irishman  by  birth,  of 
good  family  and  even  his  enemies  acknowledge  that  he  was 
clear  headed  and  an  experienced  soldier.  The  rebels  ventured  an 
attack  on  the  weakest  point  of  the  fortress  between  the  Porte  de 
Palais  Gate  and  the  "Sally-Porte."  They  would  have  succeeded 
without  doubt,  if  Montgomery  had  not  been  killed.  He  under 
took  at  the  same  time  an  attack  through  the  lower  town  on  the 
opposite  side,  and  while  arranging  his  men  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  beneath  Cape  Diamant  (which  is  very  narrow  here),  a 
grape  shot  fired  from  the  last  house  in  the  lower  village  hit  and 
killed  him,  his  adjutant  and  twenty  of  his  men,  a  fortunate 
thing  for  the  city  and  for  the  war  in  general.  So  much  is  cer 
tain,  that  if  Montgomery  had  lived,  the  city  would  have  had  to 
surrender,  for  the  garrison  was  very  weak  and  depleted.  In 
the  beginning  of  the  siege  not  more  than  sixty  of  the  English 
regulars  were  in  the  town.  Colonel  M'Clean  formed  a  regiment 
of  the  English  sailors  from  the  ships  and  the  inhabitants  one 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  47 

regiment  of  Englishmen,  and  two  of  Frenchmen.  This  militia, 
uniformed  and  armed  at  the  king's  expense,  in  green,  made  up 
the  whole  garrison.  It  is  remarkable  that  such  people  were  able 
to  hold  the  fortress,  and  it  would  have  been  impossible  had  not 
General  Carleton  been  their  commander,  and  had  not  General 
Arnold,  an  ordinary  horse-dealer  (Rosskam)  by  trade,  been  their 
opponent.  He  did  not  understand  how  to  keep  the  Canadians, 
who  had  served  under  Montgomery  during  the  siege,  willing  to 
go  on  fighting.  Montgomery  had  the  art  of  persuading  the  Can 
adians  to  join  the  rebellion  and  10,000  men  had  already  enlisted  to 
fight  against  the  English.  A  grave  blunder  had  been  committed 
by  the  government  in  the  occupation  of  Canada  in  1760,  of  which 
he  took  advantage.  English  liberty  had  been  introduced  into 
Canada,  the  French  military  government  had  been  abolished,  and 
the  captain  of  the  militia  and  officers  had  been  discharged.  Per 
mission  was  granted  the  Parishes  (Paroises)  to  choose  a  bailiff 
by  the  majority  of  votes.  The  government  saw  this  mistake 
when  disturbances  began  in  the  southern  colonies,  and  since  Can 
ada  had  to  serve  politically  as  a  check  upon  the  other  provinces, 
the  bailiffs  were  dismissed,  and  the  government  placed  new  cap 
tains  and  officers  of  the  militia  in  their  places  as  it  saw  fit.  This 
aroused  the  spirits  of  the  former  captains  and  bailiffs,  both  of 
whom  had  numerous  friends  in  the  parishes  against  the  govern 
ment.  It  was  easy  to  incite  these  men  to  rebellion,  with  the 
hope  of  being  restored  to  their  positions,  as  the  deep-rooted  na 
tional  hatred  of  the  French  for  English  had  been  perpetuated 
among  the  Canadians.  Even  the  wealthy  took  the  side  of  this 
party,  expecting  positions  of  honor  and  high  standing  for  them 
selves,  which  so  far  had  been  filled  by  Englishmen.  Montgomery 
had  even  maintained  relations  with  a  hundred  inhabitants  in  the 
city,  who  served  in  the  English  militia. 

If  Quebec  had  been  taken,  our  landing  would  have  been 
rather  difficult,  and  the  siege  would  have  had  to  be  made  from 
the  "Pointe  Levy." 

AUGUST  i6xH. — Today  I  was  again  present  at  a  solemn 
ceremony,  General  Carleton  had  been  in  Quebec  for  the  last 
three  weeks  in  order  to  straighten  out  some  irregularities  in  the 


48  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

province,  the  expedition  across  the  lake  having  been  postponed 
on  account  of  the  vessels  needed.  During  this  time  a  delegation 
of  50  Indians  of  the  Outagamis  and  Quicapous  had  arrived  at 
Montreal.  These  are  powerful  nations  living  along  the  Missis 
sippi.  They  had  made  a  trip  of  more  than  400  German  miles. 
Two  of  their  most  respected  chiefs  came  down  to  Quebec,  since 
the  general's  departure  to  Montreal  had  been  delayed,  to  get  an 
interview  with  him.  These  people  were  tall  and  strongly  built, 
with  brownish-yellow  complexion;  their  faces  were  not  painted 
red,  as  among  other  Indians.  They  had  high  foreheads  and 
fiery  eyes.  Their  hair  was  shaved  in  front  and  the  rest  braided 
and  adorned  with  colored  feathers.  They  wore  shirts  and  had 
white  woolen  blankets  around  them,  both  articles  being  thickly 
covered  with  red  paint.  They  did  not  wear  trousers  as  all  the 
other  nations  do.  Around  their  necks  they  wore  wampums  and 
bracelets  on  their  arms.  After  the  general  had  taken  a  seat  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  contrary  to  the  usual  custom  and  the 
adjutants  their  places  behind  him,  the  delegation  was  brought 
in  by  the  interpreter,  and  an  English  captain  who  had  accom 
panied  them  from  Montreal.  They  then  seated  themselves 
around  the  general.  One  of  the  delegates  had  a  staff  orna 
mented  with  colored  feathers  in  the  shape  of  a  fan.  This  was 
considered  to  be  a  staff  of  authority.  After  the  Indians  had  been 
seated  a  while,  the  first  chief  rose  and  shook  hands  with  the 
general  and  some  of  the  officers  nearest  to  him.  This  is  con 
sidered  a  compliment.  Then  he  made  the  following  speech, 
which  was  natural  and  eloquent: 

"My  father.  As  soon  as  we  heard  your  summons  addressed 
to  the  whole  world,  our  hearts  and  ears  were  one.  We,  the  most 
distant  of  your  children,  (this  we  are,  because  you  are  our 
father)  have  come  here  to  offer  our  services  to  you,  the  governor 
of  the  whole  world.  15,000  young  warriors  are  ready  to  ful 
fil  your  orders.  Pardon  me,  father,  if  I  cannot  address  you 
properly.  I  ajn  only  a  simple  man,  who  understands  neither  how 
to  read  nor  write,  and  I  have  nothing  but  my  ears,  honorable 
intentions  and  an  honest  heart.  I  came  here  to  seek  your  grace, 
governor  of  the  world,  for  myself  and  for  my  subjects." 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  49 

While  the  first  chief  spoke  thus,  the  other  one  took  what  we 
thought  was  the  staff  of  authority  and  fastened  a  good  sized 
pipe  bowl  to  it,  filled  it  with  tobacco,  struck  a  light  with  the  flint 
and  handed  the  pipe  to  the  speaker,  who  took  the  burning  tinder, 
placed  it  on  the  pipe  and  presented  it  to  the  general  to  be  lighted, 
with  these  words : 

"I  read  in  your  eyes,  my  father,  that  you  will  grant  to  our 
tribes,  the  Outagamis  and  Quicapous,  your  grace,  and  that  your 
heart  will  be  inclined  to  me,  since  you  have  touched  my  hand. 
The  tobacco  cleanses  the  heart  and  the  brain,  and  may  the  to 
bacco  in  this  pipe  purify  your  heart  of  all  hatred !  This  pipe  was 
pure  and  as  white  as  snow,  when  some  years  ago,  I  put  it  in  the 
hands  of  your  representative.  It  is  the  same  pipe,  but  he  soiled 
it,  although  my  heart  remained  pure." 

After  the  general  had  lighted  the  pipe,  the  Indian  took  it 
to  the  English  captain  who  had  brought  them  to  Quebec.  Then 
he  passed  it  to  the  commander  of  Quebec,  Leiutenant  Colonel 
Brown,  to  be  smoked,  having  first  inquired  from  the  interpreter 
for  the  next  in  rank.  After  this  he  gave  the  pipe  to  the  other 
Indian,  who  took  it  to  all  the  rest  present. 

This  ceremony  is  observed  at  all  conclusions  of  peace  and 
alliances  with  the  Indians,  and  they  consider  it  the  greatest  in 
sult,  should  anybody  refuse  to  smoke,  an  insult  which  is  punished 
by  death.  The  general  had  requested  us  therefore  not  to  refuse 
to  smoke. 

It  took  sometime  before  the  pipe  had  gone  around,  as  there 
were  about  fifty  people  in  the  room.  The  other  Indian  sat 
meanwhile  with  folded  arms  and  drooping  head,  watching  the 
people.  The  pipe  was  at  last  given  back  to  the  first  Indian  and 
he  presented  it  to  the  general  with  these  words : 

"My  father!  Again  I  am  impelled  by  a  special  reason  to 
ask  your  favor.  Some  of  my  young  warriors  went  to  a  French 
inn  last  year  and  asked  for  whisky,  and  as  the  owner  did  not  have 
any,  they  killed  him.  The  lieutenant,  whom  you,  no  doubt,  know, 
since  you  gave  him  his  position,  says,  it  was  a  sin.  I  do  not 
know  what  a  sin  is,  but  I  know  that  it  is  an  insult  to  me  as  I  am 


50  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

the  chief  of  these  people.  The  grief  over  this  act  had  gnawed 
at  my  heart,  but  now  I  can  return  to  my  tribe  with  an  easy  mind, 
because  I  had  the  happiness  to  see  you,  governor  of  the  world, 
and  to  find  grace  in  your  eyes." 

The  general  assured  him  of  his  grace  through  the  interpreter, 
and  after  shaking  hands  in  a  friendly  way  with  all  present,  the 
Indians  departed.  They  were  invited  to  dinner  and  had  the  honor 
to  dine  with  the  general.  The  pipe  is  carefully  kept  in  the  ar 
chives  of  the  government,  together  with  a  report  containing  the 
names  of  all  those  present.  As  long  as  this  nation  is  friendly  to 
ward  the  English,  the  pipe  remains  in  the  possession  of  the  gov 
ernor,  but  as  soon  as  they  intend  to  break  the  peace  a  delegation 
is  sent  to  take  the  pipe  away.  The  general  was  willing  to  accept 
their  offer,  and  to  take  into  his  army  a  number  of  their  nation. 
But  the  interpreter,  who  had  lived  as  a  captive  among  them  for 
eight  years,  said,  that  however  just  they  might  be  in  their  nego 
tiations,  there  was  no  nation  more  cruel  to  their  enemies  than 
these  who  never  granted  a  pardon.  Other  tribes  only  take  the 
skin  from  the  head,  while  they  would  take  the  skin  from  the 
navel  on,  and  in  order  to  be  able  to  stuff  and  exhibit  it  in  their 
wigwams,  they  cut  the  skin  all  around  the  body  and  draw  it 
over  the  head,  keeping  it  carefuly  intact. 

AUGUST  I/TH. — These  Indians  were  again  taken  before  the 
genereal  next  morning,  and  he  presented  them  with  big  silver 
medallions  on  which  the  king's  image  was  stamped.  These  me 
dallions  were  hung  around  their  necks  with  a  purple  ribbon.  The 
chief  had  already  a  similar  French  medallion,  which,  however, 
he  did  not  remove,  but  lengthened  the  ribbon  a  little  so  that  it 
hung  a  little  below  the  one  just  received.  To  impress  these 
Indians  still  more  with  the  greatness  and  power  of  their  masters, 
the  general  sent  them  to  the  men-of-war  which  were  at  the  docks. 
As  soon  as  they  approached  the  "Isis"  they  were  welcomed  by 
Commodore  Douglass  with  eight  shots  from  the  cannon  and  by 
the  marines,  fully  armed,  while  all  sailors  were  at  their  posts  on 
deck.  After  the  savages  had  recovered  a  little  from  their  sur 
prise,  the  interpreter  told  them  that  this  reception  was  given  them 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  51 

only  on  account  of  the  medallions  just  received.  The  Com 
modore  greeted  them  with  all  honors,  showed  them  the  whole 
construction  of  the  ship  and  afterwards  his  ability  to  shoot  down 
big  trees  at  a  considerable  distance.  Then  refreshments  were 
served  and  they  departed  full  of  admiration  for  this  ship. 

SEPTEMBER  IOTH. — This  date  marks  the  beginning  of  har 
vest  time,  which  begins  around  Montreal  about  eight  days 
sooner.  The  raising  of  wheat  is  the  chief  occupation  of  the 
farmer,  all  bread  here  being  made  of  this  grain.  Besides  this, 
some  oats  are  raised.  Rye  is  rarely  found  in  the  badly  tilled 
fields,  nor  barley  either,  because  the  use  of  the  latter  for  brewing 
beer  is  unknown.  They  have  a  kind  of  beer,  however,  which  is  very 
wholesome  and  which  is  palatable  when  one  becomes  accustomed 
to  it.  This  beer  is  prepared  from  twigs  of  the  spruce  and  par 
ticularly  pine  trees,  which  are  boiled  with  their  needles.  Maple 
sugar  or  molasses  (Melassus)  is  then  added  and  the  whole  put 
away  for  a  time.  The  French  call  this  beer  "Epinette"  and  the 
English  "Spruce."  It  is  true  that  it  tastes  a  little  of  turpentine,  but 
it  smells  stronger  than  it  tastes.  Although  I  rejected  it  in  the  be 
ginning,  I  liked  it  afterwards.  It  is  generally  considered  a 
remedy  for  scurvy,  and  the  result  confirms  this  conviction.  Our 
soldiers  suffered  very  much  from  scurvy  after  the  journey  and 
the  beer  alone  restored  their  health.  All  ships  sailing  from  here, 
take  a  large  supply  of  it  on  board. 

SEPTEMBER  I7TH. — Toward  mid-day  the  ships  with  the  sec 
ond  section  of  our  troops  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Specht, 
arrived.  One  of  the  vessels  the  "Friesland"  was  lost  on  the 
bank  of  Newfoundland  (Terre  Neuve)  and  nothing  had  been 
heard  from  it  since.  This  division  lost  twice  as  many  men  dur 
ing  the  trip  as  we,  viz.:  16.  The  fleet  consisted  of  2  frigates, 
the  "Amazone"  and  the  "Garland",  and  15  transports.  Ten  of 
these  had  Brunswick  troops  on  board  and  five  brought  English 
recruits  to  the  army.  The  Brunswick  regiments  were: 

i.  Major-General  v.  Rhetz;  2,  Colonel  Specht;  3,  Chassuer- 
Battallion  v.  Baerner  and  one  company  of  Yagers  with  rifles. 
The  names  of  the  transport  on  which  these  Brunswick  troops  had 
come  over  were : 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 


Namens  der 
Schiffe. 


Jung 

Bomfacius 
Hollandisch 


Frau 

Johanna 

Hollandisch 

Jungfer 

Anne  Cathrine 

Hamburgisch 


Lively 

Englisch 

Capt.  Hall 


Friesland 
Hollandisch 


de 

gude  Sacke 
Hollandisch 


Margaretha 

Alida 
Hollandisch 

Hellegunda 

Christiana 

Hollandisch 

Ost-Rust 
Hollandisch 

Three 

Friends 

Englisch 


Anzahl       Namen  der  darauf 

der  befindlichen 

Tonnen  Officiere. 

Obrlt.  v.  Ehrenkroock, 
Cap.  v.  Fredersdorf, 
L.  Meyer  v.  Unger  sen., 
Feldscher  Toegel,  Au 
dit.  Schmidt,  Reg. 
Feldscher  Schrader. 

Maj.  v.  Lucke,  Cap. 
Alers,  Cap.  Arend,  C. 
Cleve,  L.  v.  Papet  jun., 
v.  Dobeneck,  Modrach, 
Feichel,  F.  Goedecke. 

Cap.  v.  Schlageteufel, 
sen.,  Ltd.  Bielstein, 
Conrady,  Peters,  F. 
Ehrich,  Bandel,  Bode. 

Obr.  Specht,  Cap.  Jaeger, 
o'  Conel.  L.  Meyer, 
Du  Roi,  jun.,  Reg. 
Feldscher  Bause,  Lieut. 
Willo  in  engl.  Dien- 
sten. 

Cap.  v.  Liitzow,  v.  Dahl- 
stierna,  L.  v.  Papet, 
sen.,  Oldekopf,  d'An. 
ieres,  sen.,  L.  v.  Unger, 
jun.,  F.  v.  Bernewitz, 
Grimpe. 

Major  v.  Ehrenkroock, 
Capt.  v.  Schlagenteuf- 
fel,  jun.,  L.  Hertel,  v. 
Milkau,  Dove,  Kett- 
ner,  F.  v.  Redecken,  v. 
Ulmenstein,  Feldscher 
Kohle,  Audit.  Baehre. 

Major  v.  Baerner,  Capit. 
Schottelius,  v.  Gleis- 
senberg,  L.  Bode,  Pflii- 
ger,  Rohr,  Reg.-Feld- 
scher  Kuntze. 

Cap.  Thomae,  Lieut. 
Kotte,  Meyer,  Miih- 
lenfeld,  F.  Rhenius,  de 
Biers. 

Cap.  v.  Geusau,  L.  Han- 
nemann,  Cruse,  Fricke, 
F.  Specht,  Cap.  v. 
Plessen,  F.  Fromme. 
Cap.  Dommess,  L.  Rabe, 
Gladen  F.  Hagemann, 
L.  Rodemeyer,  v.  Hess- 
ler. 


380 


600 


263 


230 


800 


200 


620 


310 


506 


2Q4 


Zahl 
der 

Soldaten. 


192 


318 


125 


108 


354 


180 


308 


167 


108 


162 


Compagnies. 


Leib-Comp.      und 
Oberlt  v.  Ehren 
kroock. 


Leib-Comp.      Ma 
jor   v.    Lucke, 
Cap.  Alers. 


Capt.  v. 
Schlageteufel. 


Obr.  Specht. 


Obr.  Specht,  C.  v. 

Liitzow,   C.   v. 

Dahlstiern. 


Major    v.    Ehren 
kroock,  C.  v. 
Plessen. 


Jager  Comp. 

und 
Major  v.  Baerner. 


Capitaine 
Thomae. 


Capitaine 
v.    Geusau. 

Cap.  Dommess, 

ein   Theil 
v.   Cap.  Alers. 


Regiment 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  53 

This  second  section  had  left  Wolfenbiittel  on  May  I5th,  em 
barked  in  Stade  on  the  27th,  28th  and  3Oth  of  May,  and  was  on 
the  ocean  for  15  weeks.  The  delay  was  due  partly  to  the  fre 
quent  calms,  which  occur  during  this  season,  but  chiefly  to  the 
fact  that  the  boats  were  almost  all  Dutch  vessels  which  are 
known  to  be  slow  sailing  ships.  This  probably  accounted  also 
for  the  fact  that  the  "Friesland"  was  missing. 

Captain  Jacobs  of  the  frigate  "Amazone",  who  commanded 
the  whole  fleet  across  the  ocean,  told  me  that  he  had  been  obliged 
to  tow  the  ship  "Margaretha  Alida"  with  Major  Baerner  on 
board,  for  a  long  time  in  order  to  keep  it  from  being  lost. 

The  troops  disembarked  in  Quebec  on  the  iQth,  2ist  and 
23rd  of  September  and  continued  their  march  overland  to  the 
army.  The  regiment  v.  Rhetz  and  Specht  joined  the  army  near 
Fort  Chambly  and  the  Chasseurs  near  Fort  St.  Jean.  The  com 
pany  of  Yagers  joined  the  light  Infantry  under  General  Frazer. 

SEPTEMBER  IQTH. — The  dragoon  regiments  likewise  left 
Quebec  to  join  the  army.  Four  schooners  (Goeletten)  took 
them  up  the  St.  Lawrence  River  to  Trois  Rivieres.  The  regi 
ment  Prince  Friedrich  was  the  only  one  left  in  the  garrison  of 
Quebec  and  Col.  Praetorius  took  command  of  the  fortress. 

OCTOBER  3RD. — A  detachment  of  this  regiment  under  Capt. 
Diterichs  received  orders  to  guard  the  pass  "La  Beauce"  on  the 
other  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  on  the  road  from  Kenne- 
beck.  The  rebels  had  passed  this  defile  last  winter  on  their  way 
to  Quebec.  This  pass  is  so  narrow  that  it  takes  only  100  men 
to  keep  back  a  strong  army. 

OCTOBER  6TH. — The  missing  ship  "Friesland"  arrived  at 
last  at  the  docks.  Through  stupidity  of  the  pilot  she  had  gone 
too  far  to  the  right  and  had  missed  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Law 
rence  River. 

The  companies  on  board  from  the  regiment  Specht  disem 
barked  on  the  8th  and  marched  under  Capt.  v.  Liitzow  to  their 
regiment.  At  this  time  the  preparation  of  the  frigates,  boats  (Ba 
teaux)  and  floating  batteries  needed  for  the  expedition  on  the 
Lac  Champlain,  had  been  finished  and  as  winter  was  near  when 


54  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

nothing  could  be  done,  General  Carleton  made  an  attack  with  the 
fleet  under  Commodore  Pringle  upon  the  ships  of  the  rebels.  The 
enemy  was  driven  into  the  Bay  Roche  Fendue,  some  of  the  ves 
sels  were  sunk  and  the  rest  were  burned,  so  that  the  fleet  of  the 
rebels  in  the  lake  was  entirely  destroyed.  During  this  attack  a 
company  of  artillery  from  the  Erbprinzl.  Hesse-Hanau  regiment 
had  particularly  distinguished  itself  and  the  bravery  of  Capt. 
Pietsch,  who  was  in  command  of  it,  was  generally  praised  and 
admired.  The  rebels  had  defended  themselves  courageously  and 
had  offered  resistance,  but  they  had  to  submit  on  account  of  the 
good  organization  of  the  attack,  and  particularly  on  account  of 
the  bravery  of  the  English  which  might  almost  be  called  fool- 
hardiness  in  such  decisive  instances.  An  English  lieutenant  of 
the  navy,  named  Dacres,  who  was  in  command  of  the  frigate 
"Carleton",  was  so  eager  in  pursuing  the  fleet  and,  as  the  other 
boats  were  not  able  to  sail  as  fast  as  his,  he  arrived  in  the  Bay 
almost  at  the  same  time  as  the  rebels.  The  wind  changed  sud 
denly  and  made  it  almost  impossible  for  his  companions  to  join 
him  in  the  bay.  It  was  also  impossible  for  him  to  go  back  on 
account  of  the  adverse  wind.  In  this  embarrassing  position,  un 
able  to  retreat  and  with  the  shots  of  the  entire  fleet  of  the  rebels 
directed  at  his  ship,  Lieutenant  Dacres  quieted  his  men  by  his 
composure,  only  requesting  them  to  follow  his  orders  instantly. 
To  the  greatest  astonishment  of  the  rebels,  he  dropped  anchor  in 
the  midst  of  their  fleet,  disregarded  their  firing  completely  and 
attempted  to  sink  one  of  their  best  vessels,  which  he  accomplished 
in  about  an  hour.  He  then  put  his  own  ship  alongside  of  this  and 
went  on  board  with  his  sword  in  hand  and  took  possession.  The 
other  ships  had  arrived  meanwhile  and  finished  the  brave  attack 
by  a  complete  surrender.  After  the  battle,  Dacres  was  ordered 
before  General  Carleton,  who,  after  telling  him  that  he  ought  to 
be  courtmartialed  for  lack  of  caution,  putting  the  ship  and  the 
life  of  his  men  at  stake,  but  as  luck  had  been  with  him  and  he 
through  his  bravery  had  won  the  victory,  he  therefore  promoted 
him  temporarily,  until  confirmed  by  the  king,  to  the  rank  of  cap 
tain. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  55 

The  result  of  this  victory  was  our  getting  Fort  Frederic 
(Crown  Point),  which  the  rebels  had  left  when  retreating.  As 
this  fort  was  of  no  use  to  us  on  account  of  its  location,  it  was 
demolished.  The  army  went  back  to  Canada  into  winter  quar 
ters.  The  Isle  "Aux  Noix"  served  as  an  outpost,  and  3  English 
regiments  had  to  stay  there  in  log-houses  during  the  winter. 
Other  outposts  were  the  forts  Chambly  and  St.  John. 

OCTOBER  26TH. — The  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  received 
orders  to  leave  Quebec  and  to  join  the  other  German  troops  which 
were  with  the  army. 

OCTOBER  2QTH. — The  34th  English  regiment  arrived  in 
Quebec  to  relieve  our  regiment.  They  came  down  stream  in 
boats  (Bateaux). 

NOVEMBER  2ND. — The  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  left  Que 
bec  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  should  have  left  one  day 
sooner,  but  the  departure  was  delayed  on  account  of  All  Saint's 
Day  (Tous  Saints)  observed  as  one  of  the  most  sacred  holidays 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  We  marched  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  received  quarters  in  the  parish  (Paroise)  St. 
Fois,  2^  leagues  from  Quebec. 

NOVEMBER  3RD. — We  started  for  St.  Augustine,  3  leagues 
from  St.  Fois,  and  crossed  the  river  "Au  Cap  Rouge". 

NOVEMBER  4TH. — We  left  for  Pointe  au  Tremble,  3  leagues 
distance  from  St.  Augustin.  Next  day  was  a  day  of  rest. 

NOVEMBER  6TH. — After  passing  through  the  "Paroise  des 
Ecureuils"  and  crossing  the  "Jacques  Cartier",  a  rapid  stream 
falling  over  rocks,  we  arrived  at  the  "Paroise  Cap  Sante",  8j4 
leagues  from  Pointe  au  Tremble,  where  we  stayed  one  night.  I 
went  to  see  the  ruined  Fort  Jacques  Cartier,  erected  by  the 
French  in  1760  against  the  English.  This  fort  is  situated  on  the 
river  named  after  the  first  settler,  Jacques  Cartier  (as  is  also 
the  surrounding  country).  It  is  not  built  regularly,  but  follows 
the  slope  of  the  ground.  It  is  one  of  the  many  blunders  made  by 
the  French  General  Vaudreuil  when  preparing  the  country  for 
defense.  Deserting  Quebec  to  take  up  a  position  at  this  pass, 
shows  want  of  experience  or  lack  of  understanding  his  business ; 


56  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

he  was  probably  bribed  by  the  English  to  do  this.  Although  this 
fort  protects  the  road  on  account  of  the  naturally  good  position, 
ships  cannot  be  hindered  from  passing  by  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  and  attacking  it  in  the  rear  where  it  is  very  weak.  A 
grave  mistake,  especially  when  dealing  with  an  English  fleet. 

NOVEMBER  7TH. — We  marched  2.y2  leagues  to  Decham- 
beault,  crossing  the  river  Port  Neuf,  where  we  had  another  day 
of  rest. 

NOVEMBER  9111. — We  marched  6l/2  leagues,  passing  through 
the  Paroise  Grondine  and  arrived  in  St.  Anne  where  we  stopped 
again.  We  met  the  regiment  v.  Rhetz,  which  had  taken  up  their 
winter  quarters  here. 

NOVEMBER  IOTH. — We  crossed  the  rivers  St.  Anne  and 
Batiscan,  two  rather  large  streams,  marched  through  the  Paroise 
Batiscan  where  Col.  Specht  was  stationed,  and  came  to  Champ- 
lain,  3*/2  leagues  from  St.  Anne. 

NOVEMBER  IITH. — We  marched  through  Cap  Madelaine, 
where  the  regiment  of  dragoons  were  quartered,  and  crossed  the 
river  Trois  Rivieres,  which  gets  its  name  from  the  fact  that  its 
mouth  is  divided  into  three  rivers  by  two  islands.  The  village 
Trois  Rivieres  has  about  eighty  houses  and  is  $y2  leagues  from 
Champlain.  Trois  Rivieres  is  half  way  between  Quebec  and 
Montreal,  each  distance  being  30  leagues. 

(Near  Trois  Rivieres  are  the  only  iron  forges  in  Canada. 
The  iron  which  is  smelted  here,  is  very  good,  as  good  as  the 
Swedish  iron,  if  not  better.  Without  having  been  heated,  it  will 
strike  fire  like  steel,  and  after  being  hardened  in  the  fire,  not 
even  the  English  file  will  make  a  mark. ) 

Since  General  v.  Riedesel  had  his  headquarters  in  Trois 
Rivieres,  only  the  staff  remained  there,  while  the  other  companies 
were  quartered  for  the  night  west  of  the  city  in  the  parishes 
Banclieu  and  Pointe  au  Lac. 

NOVEMBER  I2TH. — We  arrived  at  last  in  the  parishes  Yam- 
achiche  and  Riviere  du  Loup  to  take  up  our  winter  quarters. 
Yamachiche,  divided  in  "grande"  and  "petite  Yamachiche",  is 
6  leagues  from  Trois  Rivieres,  and  Riviere  du  Loup  is  2l/2 
leagues  from  Yamachiche. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  57 

These  parishes  are  situated  on  the  Lac  St.  Pierre,  which  is 
crossed  by  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  This  is  the  first  place  where 
high  and  low  tide  can  no  longer  be  noticed,  probably  on  account 
of  the  size  of  the  lake. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ST.  LAWRENCE  RIVER. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  river  in  the  world  shows  high 
and  low  tide  to  such  a  degree  and  such  a  distance.  Near  Quebec, 
which  is  1 20  leagues  away  from  the  mouth,  without  considering 
the  gulf,  the  difference  amounts  to  1 8  or  19  feet,  and  at  spring 
tide,  when  a  north  wind  is  blowing,  to  more  than  22  feet. 

Near  the  Paroise  Dechambeault,  15  leagues  farther  up 
stream,  the  difference  is  12  feet,  and  at  Trois  Rivieres,  15  leagues 
from  Dechambeault,  3  feet.  The  tide  extends,  as  shown  above, 
150  leagues  (112  German  miles)  up  the  river.  But  the  depth 
and  width  of  the  river  is  also  great.  As  far  as  Trois  Rivieres  it 
is  navigable  for  merchantmen  which  do  not  draw  more  than  12 
feet  water,  and  from  Trois  Rivieres  up  to  Montreal,  it  is  deep 
enough  for  schooners  (Goeletten). 

The  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  as  well  as  of  all  the  smaller 
tributory  streams  consist  as  far  as  Dechambeault  of  slate  rock 
intermingled  with  limestone,  as  I  have  mentioned  before  in  my 
description  of  Quebec.  From  Dechambeault  on,  and  farther  in 
land,  the  bed  and  the  banks  are  of  sand  and  gravel.  It  seems  as 
if  in  former  times  the  St.  Lawrence  had  its  channel  more  to  the 
north,  and  that  the  water  washed  away  little  by  little  the  southern 
bank. 

The  Lac  St.  Pierre  is  full  of  fish;  goldfish  (Poison  d'or), 
sturgeons,  the  "Masquinonge",  pike,  carp,  etc.,  are  caught  in 
abundance.  The  goldfish  (Poison  d'or)  is  very  palatable,  how 
ever,  the  Masquinonge  is  better.  The  goldfish  has  a  shape  like 
a  pike,  but  the  meat  is  like  that  of  the  brook  trout.  The  Masqui 
nonge  belongs,  as  far  as  the  shape  is  concerned,  also  to  the  pike 
family,  but  the  meat  is  excellent.  Both  are  fish  of  prey. 

On  the  banks  of  the  lake  a  kind  of  water  rat  is  found,  called 
"Ramusket"  [muskrat?].  It  is  considered  a  delicacy  by  the 
people. 


58  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  RATMUSQUE. 

In  my  opinion  the  "Rasmusket"  belongs  to  the  beaver  (cas 
tor)  family;  the  skin  is  excellent  fur  with  hair  like  that  of  the 
beaver's,  and  its  tail  also  resembles  that  of  the  beaver.  The  way 
of  building  their  houses  also  classes  them  with  the  beaver  family. 
The  "Ramusket"  builds  a  hut  from  branches  above  a  little  inlet  of 
the  water  and  covers  it  with  reed  or  rushes.  This  little  house 
stands  above  the  water  because  the  "Ramusket"  must  always 
have  its  tail  in  the  water  just  like  the  beaver,  and  the  house  is 
two  stories  high  so  that  the  rat  may  go  up  and  down  according 
to  the  rise  or  fall  of  the  water. 

The  "Ramusket"  is  also  found  on  the  banks  of  small  rivers, 
which  do  not  rise  or  fall  much.  The  animal  is  caught  in  the 
following  manner :  The  house  is  overturned,  the  rat  jumps  into 
the  water.  But  since  it  does  not  belong  to  the  fish  family,  it 
comes  up  to  the  surface  to  get  some  fresh  air.  A  little  bubble 
shows  the  place  where  it  is.  A  pointed  instrument  is  thrown  at 
this  bubble  and  the  "Ramusket"  is  killed. 

NOVEMBER  28TH. — The  army  was  to  extend  its  winter  quar 
ters  and  the  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  received  orders  to  take 
up  their  winter  quarters  according  to  the  new  regulations.  The 
companies  were  placed  in  the  following  parishes : 

At  Petite  Machiche :  two-thirds  of  the  company  of  Capt. 
Diterichs. 

At  Riviere  du  Loup:  one-third  of  the  company  of  Gapt. 
Diterichs;  the  staff  and  comp.  of  Lt.  Col.  Praetorius;  one-third 
company  of  Major  v.  Hille. 

At  Masquinonge:     two-thirds  company  of  Major  v.  Hille. 

At  L'Ormiere:  Company  of  Capt.  v.  Tunderfeld. 

At  St.  Jean  and  York :    Comp.  Major  Gen.  v.  Stammer. 

On  the  25th  the  detachment  at  La  Beaux  joined  the  regi 
ment,  completing  it. 

JANUARY  9,  1777. — There  was  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  to-day 
beginning  at  9.32  A.  M.  and  ending  at  12.06  P.  M. 

Long,  and  at  the  same  time  easy,  trips  which  are  very 
pleasant  besides,  are  often  made  here  during  the  winter,  as  the 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  59 

frozen  lakes  and  rivers  make  it  possible  to  go  straight  across  the 
land  without  going  around  or  looking  for  bridges.  For  this  pur 
pose  small  lightly  built  sledges  are  used,  called  "Carioles"  which 
are  very  easily  drawn  by  a  horse.  Thirty  to  forty  leagues  are 
considered  a  day's  journey  with  one  horse.  If  the  horse  can 
be  changed  ("Relais"),  even  more  ground  may  be  covered. 

A  law  is  passed  that  every  parish,  as  soon  as  winter  sets 
in  with  snow  and  frost,  must  mark  the  so-called  straight  way 
with  small  fir  or  spruce  trees,  making  a  pretty  sight  of  the  road. 
This  marking  of  the  road  is  necessary  because  so  much  snow  falls 
that  even  the  fences  and  hedges  (Clotures),  which  are  at  least 
5  feet  high,  are  no  longer  visible,  and  in  order  to  keep  the  road 
always  in  good  condition,  every  inhabitant  is  obliged,  according 
to  the  law,  to  ride  up  and  down  the  road  with  the  sled  in  front 
of  his  estate  (Terre),  early  in  the  morning  after  there  has  been 
a  new  snowstorm,  or  when  the  snow  has  drifted. 

This  is  the  time  for  hunting  and  fishing,  and  I  must  men 
tion  a  peculiar  way  of  fishing,  customary  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  Whole  caravans  start  out  right  after  Christmas  and 
up  to  twelfth  day,  to  go  fishing  in  the  streams  Trois  Rivieres, 
Batiscan  and  St.  Anne.  They  cut  holes  in  the  ice,  and  their  only 
implements  are  boxes,  with  holes  in  them,  tied  to  strings.  These 
are  let  down  into  the  water  and  fish  (Morue,  Codfish),  which  at 
this  season  of  the  year  go  out  of  the  lakes  down  the  streams,  are 
caught  in  such  quantities  that  not  only  the  people,  but  also  the 
pigs,  and  what  seems  incredible  to  Europeans,  the  cows  and  horses 
live  on  this  food  for  considerable  time.  Its  meat  is  white  and 
sweet,  and  tastes  especially  good  either  fried  or  boiled,  also 
when  prepared  with  oil  and  vinegar.  I  have  eaten  the  same  and 
liked  it  very  much.  As  the  frost  continues  for  a  long  time,  the 
fish  are  simply  left  outdoors  in  heaps  to  freeze,  so  being  pre 
served  a  long  while.  The  same  is  done  with  all  meats,  and  the 
whole  winter  long  we  have  fresh  meat  and  soups  every  day.  As 
soon  as  the  cold  weather  sets  in,  about  the  beginning  of  Novem 
ber,  as  many  cattle  are  killed  as  are  thought  necessary  for  the 
winter  supply,  and  the  meat  is  hung  up  in  storehouses,  where  it 


60  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

is  preserved  by  the  cold,  so  that  no  difference  can  be  detected 
between  this  and  freshly  slaughtered  meat.  This  is  done  not  only 
with  cattle  but  as  well  with  fowl,  and  saves  a  good  deal  of 
provender;  besides  the  cattle  are  fatter  at  that  time  than  in 
winter,  even  if  well  fed.  Pickled  as  well  as  smoked  meat  is  un 
known  here,  and  herbs  are  the  only  things  which  are  pickled  for 
preservation. 

On  account  of  the  war  and  the  soldiers  billeted,  the  settlers 
were  prevented  from  going  hunting,  and  the  fur  trade  did  not 
amount  to  much  this  year.  Hunting  was  left  almost  entirely  to 
the  Indians,  who  live  further  inland  and  in  the  spring  take  the 
skins  of  the  killed  animals  to  the  European  merchants,  particu 
larly  to  Montreal,  where  the  fur  business  is  mostly  transacted. 
These  merchants  have  also  stations  among  the  Indians  farther 
north  than  Lake  Superior  and  are  doing  considerable  business. 
The  fur  principally  obtained  in  Canada  is  the  marten.  From  in 
formation  acquired,  I  learned  that  in  the  year  1748,  30,625  skins 
were  taken  to  Rochelle  from  Canada  alone.  How  many  may 
have  gone  to  other  French  ports  and  how  many  were  exported 
by  the  smuggling  trade?  At  that  time  the  fur  business  was  for 
the  profit  of  the  king  alone,  and  no  one  else  was  permitted  to 
deal  in  this  branch. 

The  skin  of  an  undressed  stone-marten  is  sold  here  at  y2 
Piaster  (4  Reales)  or  i  florin  Brunswick  Courant,  and  that  of  a 
pine-marten,  which  is  darker,  at  a  higher  price.  The  skins  of 
the  fish-otter  (Outre)  commands  the  best  price.  The  wild  cat, 
beaver,  muskrat,  bear,  wolf  and  fox  also  furnish  skins  for  the 
trade.  Also  the  skin  of  the  black  fox  is  of  great  value.  Around 
Lake  Superior  buffaloes  (Beuf  sauvage)  are  frequently  caught 
and  their  skins  are  sold  for  rugs.  The  skins  of  the  "orignal" 
and  "caribeau"  are  tanned  and  used  to  make  a  kind  of  thin  dur 
able  shoe  worn  here.  The  orignal  and  caribeau  belong  to  the  elk 
family,  but  are,  however,  not  so  easily  tamed  as  in  Lapp-land 
Those  in  the  latter  country  are  somewhat  smaller.  I  have  only 
once  seen  in  Trois  Rivieres  a  good  sized  orignal  three  months 
old,  which  somebody  was  trying  to  tame. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  61 

The  hair  of  the  orignal  as  well  as  the  quills  of  the  porcu 
pine  (Porte-Pic)  are  dyed  in  all  colors  by  the  Indians  and  used 
by  them  to  adorn  their  dress  and  handiwork. 

Stags,  deer,  wild  pigs,  are  not  found  here,  and  the  hare  is 
very  different  from  that  of  Europe.  It  is  smaller  and  the  fur  is 
lighter,  in  winter  even  white  like  that  of  the  hares  in  Siberia. 
The  squirrels  are  also  smaller  and  brownish-grey  instead  of  red. 
There  is  also  a  kind  of  flying  squirrel  in  Canada,  which  has  a 
skin  between  its  legs  and  the  body  like  a  bat's.  There  is  also  a 
variety  of  wild  fowl  in  Canada.  In  spring  wild  pigeons  (Turtes) 
are  found  in  flocks  and  are  caught  in  nets,  50  and  100  at  a  time. 
They  are  rather  big  and  have  blue  feathers  and  a  red  breast. 
Woodcocks  and  snipes  (Bacasinen)  are  plenty,  and  eight  differ 
ent  kinds  of  wild  ducks  and  plenty  of  wild  geese  abound  on  the 
lakes.  The  smallest  kind  of  duck  is  called  "Carcelles."  It  is 
superior  not  only  in  taste  but  also  in  looks  to  all  the  others.  In 
autumn  there  are  lots  of  hazel-hens,  called  "Perdrix"  by  the  in 
habitants,  wood-hens  (Poule  de  bois),  field-fares,  white  (Wein) 
and  black  thrushes.  All  these  birds  taste  very  good,  but  have  a  dif 
ferent  taste,  even  when  domesticated  from  that  of  those  of  Europe. 
For  example,  turkey  (Dindon)  is  particularly  good,  especially 
the  wild  turkey,  which  is  better  than  the  domesticated.  I  also 
saw  jays,  starlings,  magpies,  etc.,  which  look  about  the  same  as 
ours,  perhaps  a  little  brighter  in  color.  The  sparrows  are  like 
those  of  Siberia,  grey  and  small,  the  male  has  a  red  breast  and  a 
red  spot  on  its  head,  while  the  female  has  only  the  spot  on  the 
head.  The  yellow-hammer  here  has  white  feathers  instead  of 
yellow,  and  is  therefore  called  white  bird  (Oiseau  blanc).  The 
goldfinch  here,  however,  is  not  as  pretty  as  ours,  the  red  feathers 
are  wanting. 

The  fur  of  the  beaver  (Castor)  is  considered  especially  suit 
able  for  hats,  muffs,  and  they  have  therefore  been  hunted  to 
such  an  extent,  that  they  are  now  only  found  near  the  lakes  far 
inland.  I  only  saw  a  few  on  our  march  from  Quebec  to  this 
place. 

I  had  gone  ahead  of  the  regiment  to  look  for  crafts  or 
boats  further  up  the  river  and  met  near  the  river  Trois  Rivieres 


62  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

five  families  of  the  Chats  Indians  in  the  woods.  They  had  come 
down  the  river  to  sell  furs  and  beavers  at  Trois  Rivieres.  The 
huts  (Cabanen),  which  they  had  built  for  themselves  were  skil 
fully  made  of  the  bark  of  trees,  and  could  be  packed  up  and  taken 
along.  The  beavers,  which  they  had  killed  and  eaten  during  their 
trip,  fairly  shook  with  fat.  The  Canadians  also  eat  the  meat, 
particularly  during  lent.  The  tail  of  this  animal,  which  is  cov 
ered  with  scales,  is  considered  a  great  delicacy  and  you  often  find 
the  same  fried  or  prepared  as  stew  on  the  table  of  the  wealthy. 

Most  of  the  Indian  men  had  gone  hunting,  while  the  women 
did  the  cooking,  and  the  youngsters,  naked  like  piddle-dogs,  ran 
around  and  played.  One  of  the  Indians,  who  had  stayed  behind 
from  hunting  at  the  huts,  could  speak  French  brokenly.  He  com 
plied  with  my  request  to  dance  for  me  and  also  gave  the  war 
and  hunting  cry — strange,  dreadful  and  cruel  sounds.  Hearing 
these  awful  sounds  repeated  by  an  echo  in  the  woods,  would  have 
embarrassed  me  if  I  had  not  been  a  soldier  and  armed,  especially 
as  I  had  gone  astray  and  was  quite  alone.  The  women  have  to 
do  all  the  work,  and  the  men  do  nothing  but  the  rowing  and 
hunting.  When  an  Indian  has  killed  an  animal  he  hangs  it  on  a 
tree,  then  goes  home  to  smoke  and  sends  his  wife  to  fetch  the 
game.  After  he  has  described  the  place  where  it  can  be  found, 
the  woman  must  go  without  a  path,  hunting  everywhere  through 
the  thicket  until  she  finds  it  and  carry  it  home.  The  usual  way 
for  an  Indian  to  carry  things  is  with  the  help  of  the  strap  around 
the  forehead  reaching  towards  the  back.  I  have  seen  them  carry 
such  heavy  loads  in  this  manner  that  I  could  not  understand  how 
the  neck  and  the  nape  of  the  neck  could  endure  it.  The  women 
also  have  to  carry  all  the  utensils,  put  up  the  hut  and  do  all  other 
work.  If  an  animal  is  killed  ten  paces  from  the  hut,  the  squaw 
must  go  to  get  it.  The  Indians  sit  on  the  ground  with  crossed 
legs,  almost  likes  the  Turcs,  and  with  their  heads  drooping.  On 
the  bank  near  every  hut  lie  their  canoes,  built  out  of  bark  and 
pointed  at  both  ends,  where  they  are  sewed  together  with  bast. 
These  boats  are  without  doubt  the  most  skillfully  made  vessels 
which  can  be  imagined  and  perfectly  suited  for  travelling  in  this 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  63 

country.  As  almost  all  rivers  fall  over  rocks,  it  is  possible  to 
take  them  out  of  the  water,  and  they  are  so  light  that  a  man  can 
easily  carry  a  boat  for  a  considerable  distance.  At  the  same  time 
they  are  big  enough  for  the  transportation  of  a  family  of  6  to  8 
members.  They  are  usually  made  of  the  bark  of  the  elm  tree 
(Orine),  which  has  no  knots  or  branches,  and  thus  the  bark  can 
be  peeled  off  in  one  piece.  Both  ends  of  the  canoe  are  pointed 
and  ingeniously  put  together.  The  bottom  is  flat,  rounded  at  the 
sides  and  held  in  shape  by  some  thin  ribs  of  flexible  wood.  A 
canoe  is  about  15-18  feet  long,  and  in  the  middle  3  feet  or  more 
wide.  One  must  sit  down  immediately  after  entering,  or  kneel 
down,  as  those  generally  do  who  take  the  oars,  the  boat  being 
apt  to  turn  over.  It  is  also  dangerous  to  walk  in  it  with  shoes 
on,  the  bottom  being  so  thin  that  one  might  break  through.  The 
distance  between  life  and  death  in  a  canoe  cannot  be  figured  out, 
as  in  a  ship,  by  inches,  but  must  be  decided  by  lines.  There  are 
two  other  kinds  of  canoes.  One  is  cut  in  one  piece  from  a  tree 
like  a  trough,  the  other  is  made  of  boards  in  the  same  shape.  The 
Indians  undertake  long  trips  with  their  canoes  on  rivers  or  lakes, 
passing  from  one  to  another.  They  cross  this  way  almost  all 
Northern  America.  Their  winter  trips  are  not  as  long  and  are 
taken  on  "Raquets"  to  go  over  the  high  snow ;  all  necessary  pro 
visions  being  taken  along  on  sledges  made  also  from  the  bark 
of  trees.  These  sledges  are  drawn  by  the  Indians  with  the  help 
of  the  strap  across  their  forehead. 

General  Carleton  had  gone  from  Quebec,  where  he  had  his 
headquarters,  to  Montreal,  and  on  his  return  inspected  all  the 
troops  in  their  quarters.  The  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  formed 
in  line  at  Riviere  du  Loup  and  was  inspected  there. 

MARCH  STH. — At  the  end  of  March  and  the  beginning  of 
April,  people  commence  to  make  sugar  from  the  maple  tree. 
There  are  three  kinds  of  trees  and  three  kinds  of  sugar,  differing 
in  taste  and  color. 


64  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SUGAR  MAPLE. 

The  American  Sugar  Maple  (Erable  a  sucre,  Acer  Sacha- 
rinum)  is  the  most  common  kind.  The  sugar  acquired  from  this 
tree  is  brown  and  is  considered  excellent.  A  second  kind  of 
sugar  is  gained  from  the  juice  of  the  Plaint  (?)  tree,  so  the 
Canadians  call  the  tree.  I  think  it  is  the  (Erable  a  feuille  de  Til- 
leul,  Acer  striatum),  or  the  striped  bark  maple.  This  sugar  is 
lighter  in  color  than  the  first.  The  third  kind  is  gained  from  the 
"Merisier"  (Betula  lenta)  or  poplar  leaved  birch  tree,  and  dif 
fers  greatly  from  the  other  two.  The  color  is  blackish  brown  and 
it  tastes  a  little  bitter.  It  is  taken  for  medicine  and  serves  as  a 
physic.  I  have  found  that  the  maple  sugar  causes  fermentation 
in  the  body  and  acidity.  Almost  all  who  had  eaten  of  the  sugar, 
or  drunk  of  the  juice  got  sick  with  whooping  cough,  and  many 
children  had  it  during  this  season. 

The  sugar  is  prepared  in  the  following  manner :  A  deep 
slanting  cut  is  made  in  the  tree  with  an  ax,  about  one  foot  above 
the  root,  and  at  the  (lower)  end  of  the  cut  another  notch  is  made 
with  a  chisel.  Into  this  notch  is  put  a  thin  piece  of  wood,  on 
which  the  juice  trickles  down  into  a  vessel  below.  This  juice  is 
then  put  in  a  kettle  and  boiled  slowly.  The  amount  of  sugar 
gained  is  however  small.  One  tree  furnishes  little  more  than 
three  buckets  of  juice,  and  out  of  one  bucket  of  juice  only  one- 
half  pound  of  sugar  is  obtained.  Although  the  tree  is  immedi 
ately  afterwards  dressed  with  glue  or  rich  clay  to  keep  it  from 
losing  all  its  sap,  it  is  easily  understood,  that  such  bleeding  is  in 
jurious  to  the  growth  of  the  tree  and  the  consequences  are  that 
the  tree  withers  and  dies.  However,  where  the  trees  are  so 
plentiful  as  in  Canada,  and  even  where  big  tracts  of  woods  are 
burned  down  to  prepare  the  land  for  cultivation,  it  is  found 
profitable  to  make  sugar.  In  other  countries,  where  one  must 
be  more  careful  with  the  woods,  a  law  would  soon  be  passed  to 
prohibit  the  preparation  of  sugar,  or  it  would  be  stopped  anyhow, 
because  the  profits  from  the  wood  would  be  greater  than  that 
from  the  sugar.  It  is  probable  that  some  time  hence,  perhaps 
in  50-100  years,  trees  may  be  very  scarce  in  Canada,  although 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  65 

there  are  plenty  of  them  now.  The  European  settlers  do  their 
best  to  root  them  out,  never  thinking  of  the  consequences,  and 
in  some  places  the  trees  have  already  been  cut  down  entirely. 

For  the  present  it  is  easy  enough  to  have  the  wood  come 
down  the  river  to  the  settlements,  because  they  are  all  situated 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  and  tributory  rivers,  but  as  soon  as  the 
population  increases,  people  will  be  obliged  to  settle  further  in 
land.  Nobody  ever  now  thinks  of  planting  a  tree,  scarcely  one  in 
hundreds  of  people  knows  that  a  tree  has  seeds  or  what  the  seed 
looks  like. 

REMARKS  ABOUT  THE  WEATHER. 

As  I  have  now  lived  in  Canada  for  nearly  a  year,  having 
spent  a  winter  and  summer  there,  I  wish  to  say  something  about 
the  weather.  The  summer  is  very  productive.  We  have  a  thun 
derstorm  most  every  day,  or  at  least  every  other  day,  and  it 
seldom  rains  without  a  thunderstorm.  In  autumn  it  is  very 
windy,  cold  and  wet.  In  November  the  cold  weather  began 
and  snow  and  frost  lasted  all  through  the  winter.  It  never  thaws, 
and  the  only  moisture  which  comes  down  is  in  the  shape  of 
snow,  of  which  there  is  plenty.  I  must  say  that  I  found  the 
winter  very  pleasant  on  account  of  the  bright  days. 

APRIL  7TH. — We  had  a  heavy  thunderstorm  in  the  morning, 
which  was  repeated  on  the  loth  of  April.  The  winter  with  snow 
and  ice  ceased  suddenly  and  we  had  some  very  hot  days.  This 
change  was  far  from  agreeable.  It  was  said  that  this  winter 
had  been  very  mild  and  that  there  had  not  been  one  like  it  for  the 
last  twenty  years.  Almost  every  night  during  the  winter,  north 
ern  lights  in  peculiar  shapes  are  seen,  which  cover  the  whole  sky 
and  make  the  nights  very  bright.  During  February  and  March 
there  was  no  night  without  them.  There  are  also  in  Canada  vio 
lent  blasts  of  wind  (cyclones),  which  come  very  unexpectedly. 
The  inhabitants  call  such  a  blast  "Pouderie",  because  it  carries 
away  everything  that  stands  in  its  course.  A  small,  light  cloud, 
only  noticed  by  people  who  know,  indicates  what  is  coming.  A 
few  times  I  was  caught  in  one  of  these  Pouderies,  and  it  was 
hardly  possible  for  me  to  keep  my  breath  and  stay  on  my  feet. 


66  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  CANADA. 

The  Province  of  Quebec,  the  large  tract  of  land  cut  through 
from  northwest  to  northeast  by  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  is  called 
Canada  by  the  English  who  now  possess  it.  It  is  governed  by  a 
Governor-General,  authorized  under  the  Great  Seal  of  England, 
and  a  Lieutenant-Governor.  The  position  of  superintendent  ex 
isting  under  the  French  government,  has  not  been  filled  again 
since  England  took  possession.  The  form  of  government  is  a 
mixture  of  the  French  and  English.  After  the  conquest  the 
form  of  government  had  been  exactly  like  the  English,  the  mili 
tary  French  form  having  been  abolished.  Instead  of  appointing 
"Capitaines  de  Milice"  according  to  their  own  judgment,  the 
parishes  were  free  to  choose  their  own  bailiffs  from  their  midst 
by  vote.  Every  man  having  the  right  to  vote.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  rebellion,  the  crown  of  England  saw  the  mistake  made  in 
changing  the  conditions,  and  so  the  bailiffs  were  dismissed  and 
Colonels  and  Capitaines  de  Milice  again  appointed.  The  Cana 
dians,  used  to  this  form  of  government  ever  since  their  first 
settling,  were  more  contented  with  it.  However,  this  change 
and  the  dismissal  of  so  many  officials  aroused  a  good  deal  of  ill 
feeling,  especially  among  the  discharged  bailiffs  and  their  parties 
and  the  former  captains  of  militia.  At  such  a  critical  time,  this 
might  have  given  occasion  to  harmful  and  evil  consequences  for 
the  crown  of  England,  if  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  or,  what 
is  more  correct  but  means  the  same,  the  Bishop  and  the  priests 
had  not  done  their  best  to  repress  the  dissatisfaction  among  the 
laity.  The  rebels  had  known,  how  to  take  advantage  of  the  dis 
content  and  had  gained  a  very  large  following  during  the  in 
vasion  of  Canada.  The  Bishop  was  appointed  to  his  position  by 
the  government  alone,  without  the  voice  of  the  chapter  or  clergy, 
or  the  necessity  of  confirmation  by  the  Pope  or  Archbishop  after 
having  been  confirmed  by  the  king.  It  was  therefore  an  easy 
matter  for  the  Bishop  to  induce  the  members  of  his  Church  to 
remain  loyal  to  the  king  through  the  persuasion  of  the  priests, 
and  in  obstinate  cases  the  threat  of  excommunication  (anathema) 
to  all  who  expressed  the  least  rebellious  opinions  or  had  not  re- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  67 

mained  loyal  subjects  of  the  king.  In  accordance  with  this  ban, 
priests  refused  all  the  sacraments  even  those  of  communion,  bap 
tism  and  marriage  to  all  who  express  rebellious  sentiments. 
Although  few  obstinate  ones  baptized  their  own  children,  when 
the  priest  refused  to  do  it,  it  may  well  be  said  that  England  has 
chiefly  to  thank  the  Catholic  Church  and  their  priests  for  the 
maintenance  of  Canada  in  English  possession.  The  king  granted 
the  bishop,  in  appreciation  of  his  readiness  to  help,  an  annual 
remuneration  of  £2000  Sterling — to  be  paid  by  the  government. 

The  present  Governor-General  is  Lieutenant-General  Guy 
Carleton,  a  man  of  great  insight  and  experience.  He  has  the 
particular  gift  of  gaining  the  affection  of  the  clergy  and  the  hearts 
of  the  Canadians.  The  latter  means  much,  especially  on  account 
of  the  hatred  fostered  between  the  French  and  English,  which 
was  inherited  by  the  Canadians  to  the  full  from  their  ancestors. 
The  same  may  be  said  about  the  Lieutenant-Governor  Hector 
Theophilus  Gramahe,  whose  venerable  appearance  and  white 
locks  called  forth  as  much  respect  as  his  righteousness.  It  also 
speaks  well  for  this  man,  that  in  spite  of  a  good  income  and 
without  living  extravagantly,  he  may  almost  be  called  poor. 

The  Lieutenant-Governor  is  president  of  the  great  legis 
lative  council,  to  which  the  first  of  the  country  and  the  Lords 
"Seigneurs"  belong.  Each  province  sends  its  members  when 
ever  the  senate  is  called  to  assemble  in  Quebec  in  the  castle  of 
St.  Louis,  which  occurs  generally  every  three  months.  The  Great 
Council  makes  laws,  decides  improvements  in  matters  of  the  po 
lice  department,  and  cares  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  country. 
All  resulting  mandates  have  to  be  confirmed  by  the  Governor- 
General. 

For  the  administration  of  civil  jurisdiction  two  supreme 
courts  are  instituted ;  one  of  these  is  in  Quebec,  the  other  one  in 
Montreal.  Appeal  can  be  made  in  the  first  instance  to  the  Great 
Council  in  Quebec,  and  in  case  the  law-suit  concerns  an  amount 
of  money  exceeding  £500,  a  second  and  last  appeal  can  be  made 
to  the  King  and  Parliament.  Every  week  two  court  days  are 
fixed,  on  one  of  them  all  law-suits  amounting  to  less  than  £10 
are  settled,  on  the  other  all  those  amounting  to  £10  or  more. 


68  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Canada  is  divided  in  two  districts,  the  boundary  line  being 
the  river  Godefroy  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  on 
the  north  side  the  river  St.  Maurice,  which  is  divided  into  three 
canals  by  two  islands.  These  three  branches  are  called  "Trois 
Rivieres." 

In  any  law-suit  concerning  a  matter  in  value  of  £10  or  more, 
the  presence  of  2  judges  is  required.  For  all  minor  law-suits 
justices  of  peace  are  assigned  in  the  various  places  of  the  prov 
inces. 

Since  the  inhabitants  are  obliged  by  law  to  serve  in  the 
militia  from  their  i6th  to  the  6oth  year,  the  captains  or  colonels 
of  the  militia  decide  many  disputes  and  punish  minor  crimes. 

Canada  has  three  military  governments,  Quebec,  Montreal 
and  Trois  Rivieres,  which  are  the  headquarters  for  the  colonels, 
to  whom  the  captains  have  to  report,  or  from  whom  they  re 
ceive  orders.  The  boundary  lines  of  the  government  Trois 
Rivieres,  situated  between  the  other  two  and  therefore  being 
the  most  important,  are  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  the  rivers  Becancourt  and  St.  Francois,  and  on  the  north 
side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  the  rivers  Batiscan  and  Masquinonge. 
Each  parish  has  one  company  of  militia,  or,  if  the  parish  is 
big,  two  of  them.  Each  company  has  a  captain,  two  lieutenants, 
one  sub-lieutenant  and  the  usual  number  of  non-commissioned 
officers.  Once  a  year,  sometimes  oftener,  the  rifles  of  the 
militia  are  examined,  and  the  men  have  drills  and  rifle  practice. 

Settlements  of  Europeans  in  Canada  are  so  far  only  on 
the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  smaller  rivers  flowing 
into  the  same.  Only  these  parts  are  cultivated.  The  parishes 
are  not  built  closely  together  as  in  Germany,  but  each  settler  has 
erected  a  house  in  the  middle  of  his  estate  (Terre).  All  the 
estates  adjoin,  one  parish  following  the  other,  which  makes  it  im 
possible  for  anybody  not  familiar  with  the  locality  to  tell  where 
one  village  begins  and  the  other  ends.  It  makes  very  pleasant 
traveling  to  have  at  least  one  row  of  houses  on  one  side  if  not  on 
both,  and  this  is  the  case  all  the  way  from  Quebec  to  Montreal. 
These  rows  of  houses  are  called  "Concessioner"  because  they 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  69 

are  laid  out  by  the  government.  I  have  never  found  more  than 
three  "Concessionen"  in  one  parish.  Each  estate  (Terre)  is 
generally  three  "Arpens"  wide  and  40  deep,  if  the  ground  permits. 
One  "Arpens"  is  equal  to  ten  "Perches,"  one  "Perche"  is  18  feet, 
and  ii  French  feet  are  equal  to  12  Brunswick  feet.  The  rest  of 
the  country  is  not  cultivated  and  almost  impassable  on  account 
of  the  thick  woods.  This  is  inhabited  in  the  dominion  by  the 
Indians,  who  roam  about  in  it  and  travel  on  the  lakes  and  rivers 
in  their  canoes.  They  put  up  their  huts  (Cabanen)  for  a  while 
in  the  places  where  they  want  to  hunt,  and  after  a  time  they  take 
them  down  again  to  go  somewhare  else. 

Every  inhabitant  in  Canada  is  obliged,  when  he  gets  posses 
sion  of  an  estate,  to  build  a  fence  (Cloiture)  around  it,  make  a 
road  in  front  of  it  and  erect  a  house  with  a  fire-place  within  one 
year.  After  that  he  can  cultivate  the  estate  any  way  he  likes.  The 
enfeoffment  of  the  estate  is  received  from  the  "Seigneur,"  who 
in  turn  enfeoffs  the  parish  from  the  government.  The  only  tax 
per  year  on  the  estate  which  has  to  be  paid  to  the  Seigneur,  con 
sists  of  one  chicken  and  6  livres  tournois  (i  piaster).  He  has  no 
other  taxes  to  pay,  nor  has  he  to  serve  anybody  but  the  king.  Only 
once  a  year,  on  the  day  when  he  pays  his  taxes,  is  he  obliged  to 
take  off  his  hat  to  the  Seigneur  and  call  him  his  lord.  The  rest  of 
the  year  it  depends  entirely  on  his  politeness  to  lift  his  hat  to  his 
lord  or  not. 

As  the  land  in  the  beginning  is  heavily  timbered  the  first 
thing,  after  taking  possession  of  a  tract  of  land,  is  to  set  fire 
to  the  wood  to  get  the  ground  ready  for  cultivation.  It  some 
times  happens  that  miles  of  wood  are  burnt  down,  when  there  is 
much  wind,  but  nobody  seems  to  care.  After  this  the  people 
commence  to  till  and  sow  between  the  remaining  trunks  and 
roots.  These  are  dug  up  by-and-by,  when  the  land  is  cleared. 

The  tilling  of  the  ground  is  very  primitive  and  leaves  much 
for  improvement.  They  still  cling  to  the  way  of  the  first  set 
tlers  from  France  of  200  years  ago.  In  spring  the  ground  is 
plowed,  the  seed  put  in  at  once  and  the  same  covered  up  by 
going  over  the  land  with  a  harrow  with  wooden  teeth.  No 


7o  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

winter  crop  is  sowed.  All  sowing  is  done  in  spring  and  all  har 
vesting  in  summer.  It  would  do  very  well  to  have  a  second 
crop,  as  the  weather  in  September  and  October  is  very  favorable. 
This  is  impossible  as  the  people  here  do  not  understand  how  to 
care  for  pastures  from  which  they  might  get  winter  food  for 
their  cattle.  They  have  the  best  land  for  pastures  on  the  banks 
of  the  rivers  and  other  low  parts.  Half  of  the  estate  is  planted 
with  corn  while  the  other  half  is  left  fallow.  This  is  for  the 
cattle  to  graze  on.  This  has  the  disadvantage  that  in  Spring 
when  it  is  plowed  and  the  seed  put  in  weeds  will  grow  and 
smother  the  corn,  and,  since  the  farmer  needs  the  pasture  as 
much  as  the  corn,  he  does  not  take  the  trouble  to  destroy  the 
weeds  by  repeated  harrowing.  Besides,  the  wooden  pegs  of 
the  harrow  would  not  pull  out  the  weeds.  The  fallow  land 
cannot  be  plowed  during  summer  on  account  of  the  food  for 
the  cattle,  although  this  would  be  a  great  help  to  make  the 
ground  light.  The  Canadian  still  has  to  learn  how  to  get  the 
greatest  profits  from  his  land,  especially  when  the  country  be 
comes  more  populated,  or  when  he  will  be  obliged  to  pay  taxes. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  manure  the  ground,  because  the 
rotten  trunks  of  trees  and  leaves  have  fertilized  it  for  so  long  a 
time.  The  manure  is  put  on  top  of  the  soil  simply  to  get  rid 
of  it  in  the  stables.  The  air  and  sun  absorb  most  of  it.  One 
may  well  say  that  the  ground  is  covered  about  two  feet  with 
decayed  wood  and  beneath  that  I  found  very  fertile,  rich  soil. 
Therefore  the  profits  of  the  land  are  great,  and  the  people  do 
not  only  get  plenty  for  themselves,  but  also  for  sale,  and  three 
bushels  (Minot)  wheat  (about  5/4  of  a  Brunswick  Himten) 
cost  a  little  less  than  one  piaster  2  fl.  conv.  Muntze),  because  the 
West  Indish  Islands  and  colonies  have  to  buy  all  the  grain  needed 
for  bread. 

For  the  support  of  the  clergy,  one-tenth  (a  tithe)  of  the 
grain  has  to  be  paid.  This,  and  the  profits  arising  from  masses 
for  the  dead  make  up  the  income  of  the  priests.  The  priests 
are  much  esteemed,  and  I  have  seen  many  of  these  venerable 
gentlemen  in  the  country,  who  must  have  an  annual  income  of 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  71 

more  than  1500  Piaster.  They  are  very  hospitable,  and  conse 
quently  usually  in  debt,  a  fact  which  I  have  found  peculiar  to 
this  profession,  and  in  which  they  seem  to  try  to  live  in  accord 
ance  with  their  doctrine  of  poverty  and  want. 

The  farming  of  the  English  who  have  settled  in  this  coun 
try  is  in  striking  contrast  with  that  of  the  French  and  they  are 
able  to  get  rich  in  a  short  time.  The  raising  of  live  stock  makes 
the  great  difference,  since  the  best  grass  will  grow  if  the  pastures 
are  well  taken  care  of.  The  whole  meadow  will  be  covered  with 
white  clover,  yielding  enough  hay  for  the  winter,  besides  fur 
nishing  all  the  food  necessary  for  the  cattle  in  summer.  Cattle 
breeding  by  the  French  Canadians  is,  however,  defective.  As  I 
have  mentioned  before,  the  fields  tilled  this  year  have  to  pro 
duce  the  food  for  the  cattle  during  the  next  summer,  which  is,  of 
course,  scant  and  poor.  During  the  winter  the  cattle  get  nothing 
but  straw,  or  are  driven  outdoors  to  feed  on  the  dry  ends  of  the 
grass  peeping  out  of  the  snow.  They  have  only  water  to  drink, 
and  water  mixed  with  bran  and  the  like  is  unknown.  The  stables 
are  cold  and  full  of  holes,  although  there  is  no  lack  of  building 
material.  The  colts  are  never  put  in  the  stables,  neither  in  winter 
nor  summer,  day  or  night.  They  run  around  loose  and  are  fed 
only  on  straw.  The  cows  are  badly  cared  for  and  are  small  and 
thin,  giving,  in  consequence,  little  milk.  Very  little  butter  is 
made,  and  what  is  made,  is  bad  and  not  eatable. 

All  these  evils  result  from  the  extreme  laziness  of  the  Can 
adians.  They  hate  to  work,  and  when  working  they  often  stop 
to  sing  or  smoke.  The  women  hardly  work  at  all.  Their  chief 
talent  consists  in  dancing  and  making  music ;  the  whole  day  long 
you  hear  dance  music.  They  are  not  awkward  in  doing  hand 
work,  light  carpentry,  and  so  forth,  which  necessity  has  taught 
them  to  do.  All  household  furniture  and  carts,  wagons,  etc., 
are  made  at  home  as  the  cities  have  few  tradesmen,  except  mer 
chants. 

Their  indolent  way  of  living  in  addition  to  their  food,  which 
consists  mostly  of  soups,  causes  weakness  and  inability  to  en 
dure  hardships,  or  to  persevere  in  hard  work.  They  are  con- 


72  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

sequently  unfit  for  soldiers,  even  if  their  want  of  courage  could 
be  overlooked.  They  are  polite,  full  of  interest,  but  cowards. 
Much  can  be  gained  by  flattering  them.  In  my  opinion,  how 
ever,  if  the  Crown  of  England  would  be  more  severe,  much  more 
might  be  accomplished,  especially  when  nothing  is  to  be  feared 
from  other  colonies.  They  would  also  make  better  subjects, 
while  now  the  national  hatred  of  their  conquerors  will  induce 
them  to  rebel  whenever  opportunity  offers  and  there  is  nothing 
to  be  afraid  of.  They  have  been  spoiled  from  the  beginning, 
even  under  French  government.  However,  a  few  good  fortresses 
and  4-5000  men  of  English  troops,  are  sufficient  to  maintain 
Canada  even  under  difficulties. 

The  Seigneurs  are  already  rich  on  account  of  knowing  how 
to  take  advantage  of  the  simple  people  and  will  become  great  lords. 
Their  privileges  consist  of  the  right  to  build  mills,  to  establish 
ferries  across  rivers  and  the  right  of  hunting  and  fishing.  Since 
it  is  to  their  advantage,  the  Seigneurs  as  well  as  the  clergy  keep 
the  people  in  ignorance,  and  it  may  be  said  that  the  clergy  govern 
the  subjects.  General  Carleton  knew  how  to  profit  by  this  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Crown  of  England. 

Although  there  are  good  mines  in  Canada,  little  is  done  to 
work  them ;  they  either  do  not  know  how  to  sink  a  mine,  or  they 
are  too  lazy  to  do  it.  The  only  iron  mine  in  Canada  is  in  Trois 
Rivieres.  The  iron  obtained  there  is  of  such  good  quality  that  it 
is  almost  superior  to  the  Swedish  iron.  When  cold,  it  will  give 
out  sparks  like  steel  when  struck,  and  after  hardening  it,  even 
the  English  files  cannot  make  an  impression.  The  slate  moun 
tains  near  Quebec  lead  us  to  surmise  that  copper  could  also  be 
found,  and  who  knows  if  not  more  precious  metals  than  these 
may  be  hidden  in  the  mountains  of  Notre  Dame  (Our  Lady's 
Mountains).  The  Canadians  never  think  of  such  things,  and 
other  nations  import  the  metals  with  great  profit  to  themselves. 
Copper  and  brass  is  especially  high.  What  a  fortunate  country 
Canada  would  be,  if  the  people  knew  how  to  profit  by  its  riches. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  73 

ADDITIONS  AND  CHANGES  TO  MR.  LEISTEN'S  DE 
SCRIPTION  OF  BRITISH  AMERICA. 

FIRST    PART.     SECTION    4.     PRODUCTS    OF    THE    VEGETABLE 
KINGDOM.   PAGES  20,  21,  22. 

Indian  corn  or  "Mayz"  is  one  of  the  nicest  things  to  eat  if 
toasted  while  the  kernels  are  soft  and  unripe,  especially  if  spread 
with  fresh  butter.  Almost  all  new  settlers  have  to  live  on  this 
corn  for  the  first  few  years,  because  it  can  be  raised  almost  with 
out  attention  and  raised  better  between  the  tree  trunks  than  wheat 
or  other  grain,  and  also  because  they  have  no  mills  as  yet  for 
grinding  wheat,  etc.  The  ears  of  corn  are  boiled  with  ashes  which 
soften  them,  loosening  the  kernels  at  the  same  time.  After  the 
lye  has  been  poured  off,  the  kernels  are  cooked  to  a  mush  with 
milk  or  water,  which  is  eaten  instead  of  vegetables  or  bread,  a 
wholesome  and  nourishing  food. 

PAGE  22. 

There  is  not  as  great  a  yield  of  potatoes  in  Canada  as  in 
Europe.  This  may  be  due  either  to  the  great  drought  in  sum 
mer,  or  to  the  hard  clay  soil. 

The  peanut  (Glycine  Apios),  which  has  a  beautiful  red 
dish  blossom,  grows  best  in  damp  places,  hard  soil  and  clay. 

Pumpkins  (Pumpion,  Citronille)  are  plentiful  and  good. 
They  are  particularly  good  for  cattle,  making  them  very  fat. 
They  are  cut  in  two  with  a  hatchet  and  the  cattle  eat  them  in  the 
field. 

Melons,  sweet  as  well  as  water  melons,  are  plentiful,  well 
ripened  and  good.  The  skins  are  very  thin,  showing  that  the  sun 
has  ripened  them  sufficiently.  Those  planted  too  late  and  not 
ripe  in  the  beginning  of  September,  are  preserved  with  vinegar 

and  sugar. 

PAGE  23.     LINE  10. 

Peas  cannot  be  raised  in  the  colonies  on  account  of  insects, 
except  along  the  Mohawk  River,  in  Charlotte  County  and  Can 
ada,  where  they  thrive  splendidly,  keep  free  from  worms.  I  have 
not  seen  one  pea  touched  by  a  worm. 


74  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

LINE  1 6. 

This  does  not  hold  for  Canada,  where  so  far  the  only 
orchards  are  on  the  hill  near  the  city  of  Montreal.  However, 
there  is  such  an  abundance  of  it  there  that  not  only  the  entire 
province  of  Canada  has  enough,  but  the  surplus  is  used  for 
cider.  All  fruit,  mostly  French  varieties,  is  very  good  and  has 
a  good  flavor.  Cherries,  plums  and  peaches,  like  the  European, 
are  not  found  in  Canada.  Fruit  treets  could  be  cultivated  in  many 
parts  of  Canada,  except  near  or  below  Quebec.  I  have  seen 
good  results.  However,  the  Canadians  have  not  had  enough 
experience  in  this  line,  besides  the  country  near  the  river  is  too 
low,  and  in  winter  the  roots  of  the  trees  are  apt  to  get  frozen 
in  the  damp  soil. 

PAGES  23  AND  24. 

Wood  in  Canada  is  not  as  durable  as  in  Europe,  especially 
if  exposed  to  the  air,  when  it  quickly  decays. 

PAGE  26. 

Dogwood  (Hartriegel),  all  three  kinds,  are  found  in  Can 
ada,  however,  the  first  two  not  so  often,  the  one  with  white  ber 
ries  most  frequently. 

PAGE  28. 

The  sumach  tree,  Canadian  Vinaigrier,  suffers  a  great  deal 
in  Canada  during  witner,  and  it  takes  some  time  before  it  be 
gins  to  bud  again  in  Spring.  This  may  be  the  reason  why  I 
have  never  seen  the  tree  higher  than  10-12  feet.  I  could  not 
find  out  why  the  Canadians  call  this  tree  " Vinaigrier."  Indeed, 
as  a  rule  the  Canadians  can  seldom  give  reasons  for  their  names 
of  objects.  The  Canadian  Judas  tree  should  perhaps  be  "Bois 

PAGE  30. 

dur"  (Ironwood),  the  trunk  of  which  does  not  grow  especially 
high  or  thick  in  Canada.  The  wood  of  this  tree  is  used  with 
advantage  for  carts  and  "caleshes"  on  account  of  its  hardness.  I 
have  never  seen  it  thicker  than  5  inches  in  diameter,  although 
the  bark  only  is  shaved  off. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  75 

PAGE  33. 

The  low  Canadian  cherry  tree  has  small,  light  red  fruit, 
smaller  than  a  pea,  one  on  a  stem. 

PAGE  33. 

Grape  bird  cherry  (Cerises  en  Grapes)  with  dark  red  fruit 
is  also  found  in  Canada.  The  trunk  of  the  tree  is  12-15  feet 
high.  I  have  found  the  North  American  bird  cherry  in  bloom 
when  only  1-2  feet  high. 

PAGE  40. 

The  fruit  of  all  the  different  kinds  of  oak  trees  is  used  as 
food  by  the  Indians  as  well  as  by  the  Canadians.  I  do  not  think 
that  the  acorns  in  Canada  are  quite  as  tart,  bitter  and  impalatable 
as  those  in  Europe,  the  difference  is,  however,  so  slight,  that 
only  habit  can  make  them  agreeable  to  the  taste. 

PAGE  41. 

The  same  remark  applies  to  the  beech  nuts,  which  are  also 
gathered  and  eaten  in  Germany  by  the  country  people. 

SECTION  5,  PAGE  57,  LINE  27. 

Straps  are  cut  from  the  cured  skins  of  these  animals,  very 
durable  for  carriage  straps.  I  saw  some  in  Canada  only  two 
inches  wide,  stronge  enough  to  carry  heavy  loads  without 
breaking. 

ID.,  Ill,  PAGE  60,  LAST  LINE. 

The  sturgeon  lives  on  clams,  oysters,  crabs,  etc.  I  had 
many  of  them  opened,  without  ever  rinding  anything  else  in 
their  stomach.  Their  mouth  is  turned  downwards,  probably  on 
account  of  this  kind  of  food. 

N.  B. — To  this  class  belong  the  fresh  water  fish. 

PAGE  62.      c. 

The  lizards,  often  found  in  the  rivers  of  Canada,  are 
rarely  more  than  i~l/2  foot  long. 


76  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

IBID,  IV.     PAGE  67,  LINE  i. 

Grasshoppers  have  double  wings.  One  pair  is  dry  and 
hard ;  these  make  the  noise  when  the  insect  is  flying.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  grasshoppers.  One  is  large,  the  other  is  smaller, 
but  makes  more  noise. 

SECTION  6.     PAGE  71,  LINE  12. 

The  Canadian  horses,  which  are  of  medium  size,  but  have 
great  power  of  endurance,  seem  to  be  a  mixture  of  Spanish  and 
French  breeds.  They  probably  have  greater  power  of  endurance 
than  the  European  horses  because  they  are  less  cared  for 
when  young.  A  colt  less  than  two  years  old  is  never  put  in 
a  stable.  It  has  to  live  on  grass  in  summer  and  has  nothing  but 
straw  in  winter.  Consequently  colts  are  not  overfed,  which 
causes  most  of  the  sickness  among  horses  in  Europe. 

N.  B. — PAGE  72.     BEAVER,  THE  MEAT  AND  TAIL. 
PAGE  73.     RAT  MUSQUE. 

SECTION  6,  PAGE  81,  LINE  9.    (THE  SILVER  Fox  CLIMBS  TREES, 
THE  GOLD  Fox  NEVER.) 

There  are  three  kinds  of  foxes,  the  gold  fox,  which  has  the 
same  color  as  the  European,  the  silver  fox,  which  is  white  and 
gray  on  the  back,  and  the  black  fox,  which  is  very  scarce  and 
can  be  found  only  in  the  north. 

IBID,  PAGE  81,  LINE  14. 

The  hare  is  smaller  in  America  than  in  Europe.  In  sum 
mer  its  coat  is  brown  like  the  European,  but  in  winter  it  is 
white.  Almost  all  animals  change  color  during  winter.  This 
fact  may  have  given  Lawson  the  idea  that  the  American  hare  is 
a  wood  rabbit,  which  is  not  true,  however. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  77 

IBID,  PAGE  82,  LINE  4. 

Besides  the  flying  squirrel,  the  description  of  which  is  coi~ 
rect,  there  are  three  other  kinds  of  squirrels  in  Canada  of  dif 
ferent  sizes.  None  of  them  is  as  big  as  the  European  squirrel, 
nor  as  red.  The  fur  of  the  squirrel  has  a  mixed  color,  grey  and 
yellow.  The  smallest  kind,  not  bigger  than  the  European  dor 
mouse,  is  called  "Suisse."  I  am  told  that  it  was  given  this  name 
on  account  of  its  yellow  and  black  stripes  on  the  back,  which  re 
semble  the  stripes  of  a  Swiss  jacket  in  olden  times.  I  believe 
this  last  kind  also  to  belong  to  the  dormouse  family, 

SECTION  6,  PAGE  82,  LINE  16. 

The  elk,  in  French  "Orignal,"  English  "Moose  deer,"  is  the 
same  as  the  big  black  moose  deer,  is  said  to  be,  which  lives  far 
ther  down.  The  above  mentioned  French  and  English  names 
indicate  how  the  double  meaning  originated.  It  changes  its  fur 
from  black  in  summer  to  white-gray  in  winter.  It  is  probably 
a  fairy  tale  that  it  is  subject  to  epilepsy.  Neither  the  Indians  nor 
hunters  have  ever  heard  of  such  a  thing.  The  reason  why  it 
scratches  itself  behind  the  ears  with  its  hind  foot  is  probably  to  be 
found  in  the  numerous  insects  and  mosquitos.  The  rest  of  the 
description  of  the  elk  and  moose  deer  is  generally  correct.  The 
meat,  which  is  considered  a  delicacy,  has  a  taste  between  venison 
and  beef.  The  head  and  mouth  are  especially  good.  A  head  of 
this  animal  brings  i  guinea  in  the  cities  of  Canada.  The  fat  is 
exactly  like  that  of  the  deer,  and  is  in  pieces  without  being 
marbled.  The  skin,  when  tanned,  is  very  thick,  and  is  used  for 
trousers,  shoes,  etc.  The  animal  is  hunted  on  raquets  in  winter, 
when  the  snow  is  deep  and  hard.  The  hunter  can  run  over  the 
snow,  while  the  elk  will  step  through  with  it  long  legs  and  can 
easily  be  caught.  They  are  not  vicious,  but  when  wounded,  will 
attack  the  hunter,  who  has  to  guard  himself  against  the  split 
hoofs  of  the  front  feet.  These  are  as  sharp  and  hard  as  an  axe, 
and  the  animal  strikes  with  them  from  above  with  force  enough 
to  split  the  head  of  a  man. 


78  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

The  described  light  grey  moose  deer  may  also  be  a  young 
elk,  because  it  takes  three  years  to  attain  full  growth.  I  have 
noticed  this  myself  in  Canada  with  elks  which  were  caught  very 
young  and  kept  near  the  house. 

SECTION  6,  PAGE  83,  LINE  20. 

The  American  chamois  (Capra  reversa)  is  called  "Cari- 
boux"  by  the  Canadian.  The  skin  is  considered  of  great  value. 

SECTION  7,  PAGE  101,  LINE  n. 

The  Canadian  swallow,  which  on  the  upper  part  is  not  bluish- 
black  but  bright  blue,  builds  its  nest  in  trees. 

SECOND  PART,  CHAPTER  3.     SECTION  4,  PAGE  209,  LINE  5. 

This  is  probably  "as  far  as  Fort  Chambly,"  as  the  fall  of 
the  river  of  four  leagues  between  the  two  forts  makes  any  other 
supposition  impossible. 

LINE  3. 

Not  Sorel,  but  Chambly-River,  olim  Riviere-Richelieu.  This 
river  originates  out  of  Lake  Champlain.  Country  people  call  it 
sometimes  "Sorel  River,"  because  Fort  Sorel  is  situated  at  the 
mouth  of  it. 

LINE  1 8. 

The  author  does  not  mention  that  the  bateaux  had  to  be 
transported  from  Fort  Chambly  to  St.  Therese  on  wagons. 

LINE  20. 

The  Chambly  River  has  small  falls  at  St.  Ours,  St.  Antoine 
and  Belloeil,  which  cannot  be  passed  in  summer  when  the  water 
is  low,  except  by  ships  with  flat  bottoms.  From  spring  to  the 
middle  of  June,  when  the  water  is  high,  three  masted  vessels  can 
go  up  stream  to  Fort  Chambly. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  79 

LINE  22. 

The  banks  of  this  river,  being  the  best  and  most  fertile  part 
of  Canada,  are  completely  populated.  The  following  parishes 
are  on  the  east  side  of  the  river : 

Sorel,  Fort  Sorel,  St.  Ours,  St.  Denis,  St.  Charles,  Belloeil, 
Pointe  Olivier.  On  the  west  side  are :  Sorel,  St.  Ours,  one  to 
two  small  islands,  St.  Antoine,  two  small  islands,  St.  Charles,  two 
small  islands  au  Corfu,  Belloeil,  Chambly  (St.  Joseph  after  the 
patron),  Fort  Chambly,  St.  Therese,  Fort  St.  Jean.  Some  of 
these  parishes  are  cultivated  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 

LINES  36,  37. 

Not  on  the  east,  but  the  south  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  opposite  Quebec. 

St.  Nicholas,  St.  Antoine,  Ste.  Croix  (Le  Platon  is  only  a 
landing  place  near  the  latter  known  to  the  sailors  alone)  Lot- 
biniere  (mouth  of  the  Duchene,  big  and  little),  St.  Jean  Deschail- 
lon. 

PAGE  210. 

St.  Pierre  1'Eveque,  Gentilli,  Bacancour  on  the  River  Puarte 
(mouth  of  the  River  Godefroy),  Lac  St.  Paul,  La  Baye  du  Fevre 
Nicholet,  St.  Antoine,  St.  Francois  on  the  river  of  the  same  name, 
Yamaska  on  the  Yamaska  River,  Fort  Sorel  and  the  parish 
(mouth  of  Chambly  River),  Grand  St.  Ours,  Contrecoeur, 
Vercheres,  Varennese,  Boucheville,  near  by  the  Island  of  Bouchar 
in  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  but  not  the  Island  of  St.  Therese, 
which  is  situated  in  the  Chambly  River  near  St.  Therese. 
Congeuil,  where  the  passage  is  to  Montreal,  La  Prairie  de  St. 
Magdalaine,  St.  Constant,  St.  Philippe,  Cookenouaga  or  St. 
Regis,  a  village  of  Christian  Iroquois,  Sault  St.  Louis,  Chateau- 
guai,  on  the  River  Chateauguai,  and  the  parish  by  the  same  name 
on  this  side.  All  the  places  not  mentioned  above,  are  not  there, 
for  instance:  Tremblay,  St.  Lambert,  etc.,  which  are  erron 
eously  given  on  the  maps. 


8o  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

PAGE  210,  LINE  24.     PAGE  211,  LINE  3. 

On  the  road  from  Quebec  to  Montreal  on  the  north  side  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  are: 

Sillery,  St.  Foy,  Cape  Rouge,  St.  Augustine,  Pointe  aux 
Trembles,  des  Ecureuils,  Jacques  Cartier  on  the  Jacques  Carder 
River,  Cape  Sante,  Port  Neuf  on  Port  Neuf  River,  Descham- 
bault  (near  by  a  cataract  called  "Courant  de  Richelieu"  which 
is  considered  dangerous  for  ships  on  account  of  its  rocky  bot 
tom),  Les  Grondines,  St.  Anne  on  the  St.  Anne  River,  to  one 
side  St.  Genevieve,  Baptistkan  on  Baptistkan  River,  Champlain, 
Cap  la  Magdalaine.  The  St.  Maurice  River  or  Trois  Rivieres, 
which  latter  name  was  given  because  two  islands  divide  the  river 
into  three  channels.  The  city  of  Trois  Rivieres  is  a  place  similar 
to  a  small  German  market  town.  On  the  side  of  the  St.  Maurice 
River  are  the  iron  works  "Forge,"  where  very  good  iron  is  manu 
factured,  which  is  almost  better  than  the  Swedish  iron.  At  the 
point  of  Peter's  Lake,  Pointe  du  Lac,  Machicha  on  the  Machicha 
River,  Riviere  du  Loup  on  the  River  du  Loup,  Maskinonge  on  the 
River  Maskinonge,  York,  TOrmiere,  to  one  side,  towards  the 
north,  St.  Cuthbert  on  the  Chicot  River,  St.  Jean  to  one  side, 
Berthier  on  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Berthier  River,  St.  Esprit 
and  St.  Antoine  to  one  side,  la  Nauraie,  la  Valterie,  St.  Sulpice, 
1'Assomption  to  the  side  on  the  river  1'Assomption,  and  on  the 
same  river  farther  to  the  side  la  Nouvelle  Acadie,  Repentigne. 
Here  is  the  passage  to  the  Island  of  Montreal,  Maskouche,  Lach- 
enaye,  Terrebonne  on  the  Riviere  du  Chene.  Further  the  Outa- 
was  River,  Vaudreuil,  Kinchin  and  Coteau  des  Cedres,  the  latter 
parish  on  the  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Now  we  go  back :  The 
Island  Montreal,  on  which  the  city  of  Montreal,  Pointe  aux 
Trembles,  Longe  Pointe,  Ste.  Genevieve,  St.  Lawrence,  St.  Anne, 
Pointe  Claire,  Riviere  des  Prairies,  Sault  aux  Recolets,  la  Chene. 
On  the  north  of  the  island  of  Montreal,  the  Isle  Jesus,  on  which 
are  St.  Frangois,  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  St.  Martin  and  St.  Rose, 
On  the  south  of  the  Isle  of  Montreal,  the  Isle  Perrault.  These 
are  the  parishes  above  the  city  of  Quebec. 

As  there  are  more  parishes  below  Quebec  on  both  sides  of 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  81 

the  St.  Lawrence,  I  shall  also  mention  them  below.  The  author 
evidently,  had  no  knowledge  of  them. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  below  Quebec : 

Charlesbourg  on  the  St.  Charles  River,which  runs  into  the 
St.  Lawrence  near  Quebec,  Beauport  on  the  Montmoranci  River 
which  falls  over  a  steep  precipice  near  the  Isle  of  Orleans  into 
the  St.  Lawrence,  Anges  Gardiens,  Chateau  Riches,  Ste.  Anne,  St. 
Ferreol,  St.  Joachim,  Petite  Riviere,  La  Baie  St.  Paul,  the  coun 
try  from  the  Sault  des  Montmoranci  River  to  the  Bay  St.  Paul  is 
called  "Cote  de  Beaupre"  and  belongs  to  the  Seminary  at  Que 
bec.  Furthermore,  also  below  Quebec  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  Les 
Eboulements  near  the  Isle  au  Coudres,  and  still  further  toward 
the  gulf,  Tadoussac  and  Rimouski. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  opposite  the 
city  of  Quebec,  below  the  River  of  la  Chaudiere : 

La  Pointe  Levy,  St.  Henri  to  the  side,  and  still  further  to 
the  side  up  the  river  Chaudiere,  la  Nouvelle  Beauce,  formerly 
called  Latigan,  with  three  parishes,  St.  Marie,  St.  Joseph  and  St. 
Frangois.  Further  down  on  the  St.  Lawrence:  Beaumont,  St. 
Charles,  to  the  side,  St.  Michel,  St.  Valliere,  Berthier,  St. 
Frangois,  St.  Pierre,  St.  Thomas,  Port  Joly,  Cap  St.  Ignace, 
llslette  and  St.  Jean  to  the  side,  St.  Roche,  Ste.  Anne  Riviere 
Ouelle,  Kamouraska,  the  latter  parish  on  this  side.  Near  Que 
bec  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  on  which  the  parishes  St.  Pierre,  St.  Lau 
rent,  St.  Famille,  St.  Frangois  and  St.  Jean.  The  Isle  aux 
Coudres  is  also  inhabited  and  has  a  church. 

SECOND  PART,  CHAPTER  6.     NEW  YORK,  SECTION  4,  PAGE  282, 
LINES  30  AND  35. 

Lake  Champlain.  On  the  east  coast,  towards  New  Hamp 
shire  are  high  and  steep  mountains,  the  west  side  of  the  lake  is 
flat  land.  The  banks  of  Lake  Champlain  are  very  good  for  agri 
culture  on  account  of  the  fertile  soil  and  the  good  climate.  How 
ever,  on  account  of  the  war,  not  much  was  done  to  cultivate  the 
fields.  At  the  present  time  there  is  not  one  settler  on  Lake 
Champlain.  The  few  families  who  lived  there  all  went  back  to 
Canada  in  1778,  after  their  houses  and  barns  were  burned  and 


82  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

ruined.  The  only  place  which  has  been  built  up  again,  is  Riviere 
a  la  Colle,  situated  near  the  fortified  island  "aux  Noix,"  and  also 
covered  by  the  post  at  Pointe  au  Fer.  On  the  west  shore  of 
the  lake  are  Cumberland's  Head  and  Bay  River  au  Sable,  Lig- 
oniers  Bay,  Bouquet  River,  which  are  not  far  from  the  narrows 
near  Split  Rock  and  Crown  Point. 

On  the  east  side  are  the  Missiskoni  River  and  Bay,  the 
Onion  and  Otter  River,  and  above  the  Narrows  the  Button 
Mould  Bay,  a  small  bay  of  little  consequence.  The  rivers  on 
this  side  are  navigable  for  flat  bottom  boats,  but  not  passable  for 
ships. 

PAGE  283,  LINES  27,  38. 

Crown  Point,  on  a  cape.  The  climate  and  the  soil  of  this 
healthy  country  is  very  good,  and  on  this  account  there  are  more 
settlers  here  than  in  any  other  place.  The  pastures  are  especially 
good,  consequently  the  cattle  and  horses,  which  are  of  good 
English  stock,  thrive  well.  There  are  corn  fields,  orchards,  etc. 
However,  the  description  of  this  country  in  the  letters  of  my 
countryman  is  exaggerated  and  faulty,  in  regard  to  tea,  grapes 
and  figs  growing  wild  in  the  forests.  The  Jungfernwein,  "He- 
dera  quinque  folia"  grows  wild  here  as  well  as  in  the  northern 
parts  and  Canada. 

PAGE  284,  LINES  7  AND  10. 

Ticonderoga  is  surrounded  by  mountains,  on  account  of 
which  the  country  is  unhealthy,  because  the  winds  cannot  clear 
the  air  and  produces  kalte  Fieber, 

PAGE  285,  LINE  i. 

The  passage  from  the  Hudson  River  into  the  South  Bay  or 
Lake  Champlain  can  be  accomplished  only  on  land. 

I  can  give  no  further  explanations  than  the  above.  Hence 
I  close  my  notes,  for  the  correctness  of  which  I  vouch,  as  I  was 
careful  not  to  make  the  same  mistake  as  other  writers  of  Jour 
nals  sent  to  Germany,  who  put  down  without  discrimination  what 
was  told  them  by  stupid  country  people  or  lying  Englishmen. 

DIXI. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  83 

CAMPAIGN  IN  CANADA  AGAINST  THE  REBELS  IN 
1777,  UNDER  THE  COMMAND  OF  LIEUTENANT- 
GENERAL  JOHN  BOURGOYNE. 

Few  preparations  for  a  campaign  were  made  in  1777,  except 
ing  the  repairs  of  the  necessary  field  equipments  by  the  regiments. 
A  new  plan  of  operation  was  expected  from  England.  Major- 
General  John  Bourgoyne,  who  had  gone,  in  November,  the  year 
before,  to  England,  returned  on  the  frigate  "Apollo"  and  ar 
rived  in  Quebec  on  May  6th,  1777. 

This  frigate  had  sailed  from  Portsmouth  in  the  beginning 
of  March  and  had  served  as  convoy  to  a  fleet  of  transports  car 
rying  recruits  and  provisions  for  Canada.  This  fleet  had  been 
left  behind  on  the  bank  of  Newfoundland  (Terre  Neuve),  while 
the  Apollo  arrived  in  Quebec  on  the  above  date,  which  is  noted 
for  the  deliverance  of  Quebec  in  1776  under  Commodore  Doug 
lass.  This  day  is  celebrated  in  remembrance  of  this  fact  with 
balls  and  other  festivities. 

General  Bourgoyne,  who  had  been  promoted  to  Lieutenant- 
General,  had  submitted  to  Parliament  a  plan  of  operation  entirely 
different  from  the  one  proposed  by  General  Carleton.  Parlia 
ment  accepted  the  former,  and  General  Bourgoyne  received  orders 
to  take  the  army  to  Albany  under  his  command,  independent  of 
General  Carleton,  who  was  to  stay  in  Canada  with  part  of  the 
troops  as  governor  of  Quebec.  General  Carleton,  for  eighteen 
.ears  fully  acquainted  with  the  situation  and  strength  of  the 
English  colonies,  had  for  good  reasons  informed  Parliament,  that 
the  Canadian  army  was  unable  to  push  forward  to  Albany  with 
good  results,  unless  reinforced  with  10,000  men,  particularly 
since  the  Canadians  could  not  well  be  trusted,  and  it  had  been 
noticed  that  they  had  been  secretly  incited  to  rebellion  by  the 
French.  As  it  was  impossible  for  England  to  send  these  addi 
tional  10,000  men,  and  General  Bourgoyne  had  promised  to  ac 
complish  the  same  end  by  his  plan  with  the  Canadian  army  in  its 
present  state,  he  readily  approved  the  execution  of  this  plan. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Quebec,  Lieutenant-General  Bour 
goyne  went  to  Montreal  to  be  nearer  the  quarters  of  the  army, 
where  it  was  easier  for  him  to  arrange  for  the  campaign. 


84  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

JUNE  IST,  1777. — The  army  received  orders  to  break 
camp.  Complying  with  these,  the  regiment  Prince  Frederich  left 
their  winter  quarters  and  proceeded  to  the  post  house  on  the 
Chenaille  du  Nord  between  Maskinonge  and  Berthier.  The  sick 
along  with  the  heavy  baggage  of  all  the  German  troops  were  sent 
to  Trois  Rivieres  with  a  small  escort. 

The  English  regiments  Nos.  29,  31  and  34,  a  detachment  of 
350  men  made  up  from  the  other  English  regiments  of  the  army 
under  Bourgoyne,  and  another  detachment  of  650  men,  com 
manded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ehrenkrook,  and  taken  from  the 
German  troops,  remained  under  the  command  of  General  Carle- 
ton  to  protect  Canada.  The  English  Regiment  No.  8,  which  was 
stationed  near  the  lakes  to  protect  the  fur  trade  with  the  Indians 
had  to  stay  likewise.  Not  alone  were  these  troops  necessary  for 
the  protection  of  Canada,  where  the  discontent  of  the  inhabitants 
had  become  noticeable,  but  also  to  prevent  incursions  of  the  rebels 
by  the  road  to  Kenneck,  etc.,  which  had  to  be  kept  safe  for  con 
veyance  of  supplies. 

JUNE  3RD. — The  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  arrived  for  night 
quarters  at  Berthier,  which  is  situated  on  a  small  river.  It  joined 
the  brigade  of  Brigadier-General  Colonel  v.  Gall,  under  whom  it 
was  enrolled  together  with  the  Erbprinzl.  Hanau  regiment. 

JUNE  4TH. — The  brigade  v.  Gall  went  up  the  St.  Lawrence 
in  boats  and  took  quarters  in  the  parish  Sorel,  a  short  distance 
from  the  fort. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  FORT  SOREL. 

Fort  Sorel  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  mouth  of  the 
River  Chambly,  formerly  called  Riviere  de  Richelieu.  It  would 
hardly  be  called  a  fortress  in  Europe,  as  it  consisted  only  of  two 
log  houses  and  a  few  lines  and  intrenchments  of  earth  thrown 
up  on  the  river  front.  But  here,  every  attempt  of  fortification  is 
called  a  fort.  The  object  of  fortifying  this  place  was  probably 
to  make  it  difficult  for  ships  to  enter  or  leave  the  river.  The 
Chambly  River  is  navigable  for  ships  not  drawing  more  than  12 
feet  of  water  for  14  leagues  up  to  the  rapids  near  Fort  Chambly, 
in  the  spring  when  the  water  is  high. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  85 

JUNE  5TH. — We  marched  through  the  parish  of  St.  Ours 
and  camped  for  the  night  in  St.  Denis. 

JUNE  6TH. — We  went  to  St.  Charles,  crossing  near  a  church 
to  the  west  side  of  the  river.  As  all  the  English  regiments,  the 
Brunswick  chasseurs  and  the  battalion  of  grenadiers,  had  gone 
ahead  of  us  and  the  march  of  the  troops  through  the  portage 
near  Fort  Chambly  was  much  delayed  on  account  of  the  trans 
fer  of  the  baggage  and  the  boats  by  wagons  around  the  rapids, 
we  were  obliged  to  stay  in  St.  Charles  one  day  longer. 

JUNE  STH. — The  regiment  broke  camp  again,  and  we  passed 
through  the  parishes  Belloeil  and  St.  Joseph,  arriving  toward 
noon  at  Fort  Chambly,  where  we  still  found  the  battalion  of 
grenadiers  and  the  Erbprinzl.  Hesse-Hanau  regiment.  Quar 
ters  were  taken  .in  the  houses  and  barns  near  the  fort. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  FORT  CHAMBLY. 

Fort  Chambly  is  built  of  quarry  stone  and  laid  out  in  a 
square  of  200  feet.  The  walls  are  rather  high  and  at  the  cor 
ners  are  square  towers  (Donjons).  It  lies  on  the  west  side  of  the 
great  rapids,  where  the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain  falls  noisily 
down  over  protruding  rocks,  forming  a  big  basin  below.  Fort 
Chambly  was  first  erected  by  the  French  as  a  fortified  outpost 
against  the  English  Colonies,  and  particularly  to  protect  the  trade 
with  the  Indians,  who  used  to  come  here  to  deliver  their  goods. 
This  entire  trade  has  now  been  transferred  to  other  places. 
In  my  opinion,  it  seems  most  probable  that  the  place  was  laid  out 
for  the  latter  purpose.  Only  25  or  30  years  ago,  fighting  in 
America  was  done  without  heavy  artillery,  excepting  the  few 
cannon  in  the  forts,  and  it  seems  possible  that  in  those  times 
Fort  Chambly  could  prevent  an  invasion  in  Canada  by  way  of 
Lake  Champlain,  especially  since  the  rapids  near  this  place  formed 
another  osbtacle.  However,  this  fort  is  now  of  no  other  use 
than  to  prevent  incursions,  or  to  serve  as  a  powder  magazine  and 
a  store  house  for  provisions  for  troops  stationed  nearby,  also  to 
protect  the  wagons  and  machinery  necessary  for  conveying  bag 
gage.  It  can  hold  only  500  men,  which  number  is  not  sufficient 
to  keep  the  enemy  away  from  the  fort,  nor  can  they  hold  out 


86  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

against  the  same  if  attacked  with  cannon,  mortars  and  even 
howitzers.  The  rebels  had  damaged  this  fort  considerably  dur 
ing  their  retreat  the  past  year  and  had  burned  away  all  wood 
work.  However,  the  damage  had  been  repaired  and  the  fort 
had  been  restored  to  its  active  condition. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  RAPIDS. 

The  rapids,  which  are  four  leagues  long,  are  divided  into  the 
great  ad  small.  The  first  are  near  Fort  Chambly,  where  they 
terminate  and  form  the  chief  cataract  of  the  lake,  and  extend 
about  J4  of  a  league  up  towards  St.  Therese.  The  water  falls 
from  such  a  height,  and  the  current  becomes  so  strong,  particu 
larly  near  Fort  Chambly,  that  it  is  impossible,  to  draw  vessels  or 
boats  up  the  river  against  the  stream.  All  boats  built  in  Canada 
for  the  army,  had  to  be  taken  out  of  the  river  below  Fort  Chambly 
on  large  wagons  made  especially  for  this  purpose,  and  trans 
ported  to  St.  Therese,  where  they  were  again  floated,  pulled  up 
stream,  until  the  small  rapids  near  Fort  St.  John  were  passed,  as 
the  fall  of  the  river  here  is  not  so  high,  although  the  current  is 
swift  and  strong.  Coming  down  stream  is  much  easier,  if  there  is 
enough  water  on  the  rapids,  which  happens  when  there  is  a  south 
wind.  The  boats,  which  are  made  as  light  as  possible,  go  down 
over  the  small  as  well  as  over  the  great  rapids.  The  Canadians 
call  this  "Sauter  sur  les  rapids."  Many  a  boat  is  wrecked  or 
overturned,  but  that  matters  little  in  a  campaign;  the  main  object 
is  to  get  down  as  quickly  as  possible. 

We  were  delayed  by  the  transfer  of  our  boats  and  baggage 
over  land  until  June  10,  on  which  date  we  started  early  in  the 
morning  for  St.  Therese,  where  we  took  former  quarters. 

JUNE  IITH. — The  brigade  v.  Gall  marched  into  camp  above 
Fort  St.  John. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  FORT  ST.  JOHN. 

The  Fort  St.  John  consists  of  2  small  forts,  or  rather  "Re- 
douten,"  "Redoubts,"  thrown  up  of  earth.  Each  one  has  a  dry 
ditch  (moat)  and  palisades  connected  by  a  communication  line, 
which  incloses  the  barracks  for  the  garrison.  This  fort  is  well 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  87 

suited  to  guard  the  passage  over  the  outlet  of  the  lake.  It  can 
not  have  existed  long,  because  the  surrounding  country  has  not 
been  cleared  of  wood,  not  even  close  by. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  RADEAU  AND  GUN  BOATS. 

Below  the  fort  on  the  water  front  was  the  English  artillery 
park.  Next  to  this  the  "Radeau,"  or  floating  battery  ('The 
Thunderer")  was  anchored.  It  was  built  in  a  square  of  strong 
rafters,  fitted,  however,  with  masts,  sails,  wheel  and  a  cabin,  like 
a  ship,  and  carried  six  24  pound  mortars,  six  12  pounds  cannon 
and  2  howitzers.  Besides  this  floating  battery  there  were  20 
large  armed  boats  built  of  wood  (gun  boats),  each  of  which  car 
ried  one  metal  cannon  of  nine  to  twenty-four  pounds,  also  a  few 
howitzers. 

As  some  of  the  boats  were  damaged  during  the  trip  and 
had  to  be  repaired,  the  regiment  stayed  in  camp  for  some  days 
and  was  then  supplied  with  the  entire  number  of  boats  needed  for 
the  transfer  across  the  lake. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BATEAUX. 

There  were  34  vessels,  each  one  to  carry  20  to  25  men  and 
their  baggage.  These  bateaux  have  a  flat  bottom  so  they  can 
pass  over  shallows  in  Lake  Champlain.  They  are  propelled  by 
six  oars,  a  seventh  serving  as  rudder. 

JUNE  I3TH. — The  entire  regiment  started  from  St.  John 
toward  noon  with  very  favorable  wind.  The  soldiers  put  up  all 
the  sails,  using  even  their  blankets  to  get  the  full  benefit  of  the 
wind.  We  passed  on  the  right  of  the  "Isle  aux  Noix,"  which  is 
well  fitted  for  an  advance  post  on  account  of  its  favorable  sit 
uation,  log  houses  and  intrenchments  having  been  erected  for 
this  purpose,  and  the  regiment  arrived  in  camp  by  Riviere  a  la 
Colle. 

We  had  already  made  the  acquaintance  of  mosquitos  in 
Canada,  but  never  before  had  we  suffered  from  them  as  much  as 
today,  for  these  insects  attacked  us  in  such  quantities  that  it  was 
impossible  to  protect  ourselves  from  them,  neither  smoking  of  to 
bacco,  nor  the  smoke  of  a  number  of  small  fires  all  around  the 


88  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

camp  being  of  any  avail.  We  nearly  suffocated  from  the  smoke 
and  could  not  keep  our  eyes  open.  It  was  impossible  to  wrap 
ourselves  up  in  blankets  on  account  of  the  heat,  and  the  blood- 
thirtsy  mosquito  would  sting  even  through  three-fold  linen 
(sheets).  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  torture,  indeed,  I  think 
myself  justified  in  stating  that  nobody  could  endure  it  con 
tinuously  for  more  than  a  few  days  and  nights  without  becoming 
insane.  If  anybody  could  have  watched  us  from  a  distance  with 
out  being  molested  himself,  or  knowing  what  was  going  on,  he 
would  have  thought  the  whole  camp  full  of  raving  maniacs. 

I  have  noticed  three  different  kinds  of  msoquitos.  The  very 
small  black  kind  makes  itself  specially  disagreeable.  It  crawls 
unnoticed  into  the  eyes,  nose,  ears  and  mouth,  where,  feeling  safe 
from  pursuit,  it  tortures  you  most  cruelly.  The  bite  of  the 
mosquitos  swells  considerably  and  hurts  for  several  days.  The 
face  becomes  distorted,  and  if  we  had  mosquitoes  in  Europe,  I 
am  sure  the  fair  sex  would  never  go  outdoors  during  the  summer. 

PLAN  OF  BATTLE. 

JUNE  I4TH. — The  first  rendezvous  of  the  army  was  to  be  at 
Cumberland's  Head.  All  the  English  regiments,  the  Brunswick 
chasseurs  and  grenadier  battalion  also  the  regiment  from  Hesse- 
Hanau,  were  already  there.  We  started  today  for  this  place  and 
arrived  in  camp  June  I4th.  The  other  German  troops,  the  gen 
erals,  the  fleet  and  artillery  arrived  soon  after.  We  passed  on  our 
trip  thither  by  Pointe  au  Fer,  a  little  advance  post  in  a  log  house 
on  the  right,  and  by  the  Isle  La  Motte  on  the  left.  The  advance 
guard  under  Brigadier-General  Simon  Frazer,  made  up  of  the 
English  light  infantry,  the  grenadiers  and  the  24th  regiment,  had 
gone  as  far  as  Ligoniers  Bay  near  the  Riviere  au  Sable.  The  bat 
tle  line  (Ordre  de  Battaille)  of  the  army  can  be  seen  from  the  in 
closed  plan.*  Besides  this  army  which  was  to  go  across  Lake 
Champlain  towards  Forts  Crown  Point  (formerly  Fort  Frederic) 
Ticonderoga  (formerly  Carillon),  Fort  George,  Anne,  Edward, 
etc.,  then  towards  the  Hudson  to  Albany,  another  division  under 
Brigadier-General  Barry  St.  Leger,  made  up  of  1000  Indians, 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  89 

some  detachments  of  the  English  regiments,  which  had  stayed 
behind  (the  Royal  New  York  regiment  under  Sir  John  Johnston) 
and  the  Hesse-Hanau  Yaeger  corps  just  arrived  constituting  a 
division  to  come  down  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Montreal  across 
Lake  Ontario  to  Fort  Stanwix,  of  which  they  were  to  take  pos 
session.  They  were  then  to  go  down  the  Mohawk  River  and 
join  our  army. 

JUNE  I7TH. — The  army  was  assembled  at  Cumberland's 
Head.  The  fleet  under  Commodore  Lutwidge  included  the  "In 
flexible,"  "Royal  George,"  "Maria,"  "Carleton"  and  "Washing 
ton."  The  first  had  three  masts,  the  others  were  only  schooners 
(Goeletten) ;  the  last  was  captured  on  October  16,  1776.  Also 
the  above  mentioned  "Radeau"  (The  Thunderer)  and  twenty 
gunboats. 

The  only  convoys  for  the  army  were  the  two  schooners 
"Maria"  with  14,  and  "Carleton"  with  12  six  pound  mortars. 
The  gun  boats  sailed  ahead  of  these.  Since  the  enemy  had  no 
more  boats  on  the  lake,  this  line  was  sufficient,  and  the  "Inflex 
ible,"  "Royal  George,"  "Washington"  followed  the  army  with 
provisions,  while  the  Radeau  carried  ammunition  and  artillery. 

Three  companies  of  the  Canadian  volunteers  under  Captains 
Monin,  McKay,  and  Boucherville,  also  the  Indians  under  St. 
Luc  la  Corne,  a  former  French  officer,  arrived  today.  The 
Indians  came  in  their  canoes  built  of  the  bark  of  trees.  Some  of 
these  contained  as  many  as  18  Indians  with  their  wives,  children 
and  dogs. 

JUNE  IQTH. — On  this  day  the  whole  army  was  to  advance  to 
the  camp  near  Ligonier's  Bay.  However,  it  was  impossible  on 
account  of  a  strong  wind  to  pass  the  point  ahead  of  us.  The 
army  was  obliged  to  remain  in  bivouac.  Lake  Champlain  is  very 
rough  and  dangerous  in  a  storm,  the  breakers  being  very  short 
and  the  banks  steep  and  rocky. 

JUNE  2OTH. — At  day  break  the  army  started  for  Ligonier's 
Bay  on  the  River  au  Sable,  passing  the  Isle  Valeur.  The  gun 
boats  in  one  line,  supported  by  the  Maria  and  Carleton,  led.  Next 
came  the  grenadiers  and  Colonel  Breymann  in  a  column  of  four 
boats  wide.  A  little  distance  behind  these  was  the  main  army, 


90  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

also  in  a  column  four  boats  wide.  No  finer  and  more  beautiful 
sight  can  be  imagined  than  a  fleet  of  about  800  boats  propelled  on 
smooth  water  by  hundreds  of  oars.  The  advance  guard  of  Gen 
eral  Frazer  had  advanced  as  far  as  the  River  Bouquet.  We  stayed 
a  few  days  near  Ligonier's  Bay.  During  this  time  General 
Bourgoyne  made  a  solemn  speech  to  the  Indians  and  had  them 
promise  not  to  commit  any  cruelties,  particularly  not  to  take  the 
scalp  of  a  person  not  yet  dead. 

JUNE  24TH. — We  proceeded  in  this  manner  until  we  reached 
the  camp  on  the  River  Bouquet.  We  found  again  a  few  set 
tlers,  the  first  ones  seen  since  Riviere  a  la  Colle  on  the  lake. 

The  hardships  of  war  here  are  different  from  those  in 
Europe.  Although  our  troops  had  endured  a  great  deal  during 
the  last  war  in  Germany,  it  was  much  harder  to  keep  them  in 
good  spirits  here.  Their  sufferings  on  this  march  surpassed 
what  they  had  expected.  The  only  consolation  was  that  their 
officers  had  to  share  them  and  could  live  no  better  than  they. 
Nothing  could  be  had  in  this  forlorn  country.  So  far  no  settlers 
had  dared  to  follow  the  army,  nor  had  there  been  any  other  con 
voy  of  supplies. 

The  banks  of  the  lake  are  covered  with  the  thickest  woods, 
and  every  time  a  camp  had  to  be  pitched,  trees  had  to  be  cut 
down  and  the  place  cleared.  In  spite  of  the  hard  work,  no  other 
provisions  were  furnished  than  salt  meat  and  flour.  As  each 
soldier  had  to  bake  his  own  bread,  and  no  ovens  for  baking  the 
same  were  there,  he  had  to  either  bake  it  in  hot  ashes  or  on  hot 
stones.  This  bread  was,  of  course,  very  hard  and  heavy,  and  re 
quired  good  teeth.  Furthermore  there  was  neither  whisky  nor 
tobacco,  which  the  German  soldiers  were  accustomed  to  have.  I 
consider  these  last  indispensible  for  soldiers.  According  to  ar 
rangements  of  the  English  Commissary,  the  troops  are  never 
supplied  with  bread.  Only  flour  is  furnished  and  the  men  have 
to  bake  their  own  bread.  We  were  not  accustomed  to  this  and 
did  not  know  how  to  do  it.  Every  other  army  furnishes  bread 
to  the  soldiers,  even  the  Russian  army,  whose  soldiers  are  known 
as  hardened,  takes  baking  ovens  along  during  the  wars  in  Tartary 
and  Ukraine. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  91 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  pity  the  soldier.  He  cannot  always 
find  things  as  he  is  accustomed  to  having  them.  He  must  know 
how  to  endure  the  hardships  of  his  profession  without  murmur 
ing.  However,  it  would  be  better  to  prepare  him  rather  than 
have  him  come  upon  these  hardships  unexpectedly. 

JUNE  25TH. — At  noon  the  army  broke  up  camp  suddenly, 
and  the  trip  was  continued  without  interruption  until  night.  It 
began  to  get  dark,  the  boats  came  close  together,  almost  in  a 
heap,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  the  wind,  whidi  had  been  rather 
strong  all  the  afternoon,  fell  in  the  evening.  One  stormy  quarter 
of  an  hour  could  have  made  an  end  to  our  expedition  when  we 
passed  the  straights  at  Roche  Fendue  (Splitrock)  where  the 
banks  are  very  rocky  and  dangerous.  Vessels  must  keep  away 
from  them  as  much  as  possible,  or  they  may  be  wrecked.  Even 
if  we  had  stayed  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  the  boats  would 
probably  have  been  smashed  by  each  other.  There  was  already 
great  confusion,  many  oars  were  broken  and  some  of  the  boats 
damaged,  when  just  in  time  the  first  (Tete)  of  the  army  landed 
in  Button-Mould-Bay.  After  much  shouting  and  fires  having 
been  made,  the  regiments  were  again  united.  Because  the  place 
for  landing  was  so  small,  the  boats  were  chained  together  and 
the  men  stayed  in  them. 

JUNE  26TH. — We  left  at  day  break  and  arrived  at  noon  in 
camp  near  Fort  Crown-Point  which  the  rebels  had  deserted  a 
few  days  previous.  The  camp  of  the  army  was  divided  by  an 
inlet  of  the  lake,  the  English  troops  taking  the  west  bank  and 
the  German  the  east.  The  river  itself,  which  is  not  very  wide 
here,  was  protected  by  the  fleet  which  formed  at  the  same  time 
the  connection  between  the  parts. 

We  remained  four  days  to  wait  for  provisions  and  other 
necessities.  A  hospital  was  also  fixed  up  during  this  time. 

On  July  ist,  the  troops  broke  camp  again  and  advanced 
to  Chiney-Point.  We  marched  in  battle  array,  each  wing  keep 
ing  close  to  its  banks,  and  when  camp  was  pitched  again,  it  was 
in  the  same  manner  as  before.  The  army  received  orders  to 
start  as  soon  as  signals  were  given.  Two  cannon  shots  from  the 
right  and  two  from  the  left  wing,  were  the  signals  to  embark. 


92  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

The  baggage  was  to  stay  behind  and  only  tents  and  field  equip 
ments  were  to  be  taken  along.  Four  cannon  shots  from  each 
wing  were  the  signal  for  marching  on  land,  leaving  the  tents 
and  boats  behind. 

JULY  2ND. — The  army  advanced  still  further.  We  could 
almost  be  reached  by  the  cannon  of  Fort  Ticonderoga.  The 
rebels  had  not  only  occupied  the  old  fort  built  by  the  French  (at 
that  time  called  Carillon,  now  Ticonderoga),  but  had  also  fortified 
Mount  Independence  opposite  the  fort  and  had  repaired  the  old 
French  trenches  above  Fort  Ticonderoga  towards  Lake  George, 
adding  some  redoubts.  Besides,  they  had  built  a  bridge  between 
Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence,  to  prevent  out  fleet  from 
passing  that  point. 

The  garrison  of  the  works  consisted  of  4000  men  under 
General  St.  Clair.  They  had  an  ample  supply  of  ammunition, 
artillery  and  provisions,  but  lacked  bayonets  to  defend  the  lines 
in  case  of  attack.  This  want  they  thought  to  correct  by  using 
long  pikes  instead.  All  preparations  were  made  on  our  part  for 
a  siege  of  long  duration,  expecting  the  most  obstinate  resistance. 
General  Frazer's  vanguard  had  pushed  forward  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river,  intending  to  cut  off  all  communication  of  the  be 
sieged  with  Lake  George.  It  was  thought  necessary  to  send  the 
brigade  V.  Gall  to  assist  the  vanguard,  and  they  received  orders 
to  cross  over  to  the  right  wing  of  the  English  troops.  These 
orders  were  carried  out  very  quietly  in  the  evening  after  dark 
in  order  to  escape  the  cannon  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  boats  went 
over  one  at  a  time  to  Three  Mile  Point.  We  stayed  in  bivouac 
during  the  night,  and  the  tents  were  not  pitched  before  reveille 
so  that  the  besieged  would  not  notice  the  change.  For  the  last 
few  days  the  rebels  had  received  everything  that  approached  them 
from  our  side  with  cannon  shots.  Even  our  camps  would  not 
have  been  safe,  if  they  had  not  been  hidden  by  the  woods.  Our 
cannon  kept  quiet,  except  for  a  few  shots  fired  from  the  ships 
and  gunboats,  when  they  were  disturbed  too  much  by  the  firing 
of  the  enemy. 

It  was  intended  in  our  plan  of  siege  that  the  right  wing 
of  our  army  should  make  an  attack  on  the  old  French  trenches, 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  93 

take  possession  of  the  "portage"  on  Lake  George  and  occupy  a 
high  mountain,  Sugar-Loaf-Hill,  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  The 
rebels  would  then  be  in  a  very  disadvantageous  position,  as  their 
whole  fortification  could  be  commanded  and  overlooked  from 
this  hill.  The  left  wing  of  our  army  was  to  operate  towards 
Mount  Independence.  If  we  had  succeeded,  the  rebels  would 
have  been  completely  surrounded  according  to  this  plan,  and  a 
retreat  either  by  land  or  water  made  impossible.  Roads  were 
opened  in  the  woods  to  keep  up  communication  between  the 
camps,  and  also  to  make  it  possible  to  take  the  cannon  through. 

JULY  4TH. — On  this  day,  our  Indians,  the  volunteers  and  the 
vanguard  gained  some  advantage  over  the  rebels  'in  a  hot 
skirmish.  The  consequences  were,  that  the  enemy  retreated  from 
the  old  French  trenches  and  we  became  masters  of  the  portage  to 
Lake  George  and  of  Sugar-Loaf-Hill.  Now  the  men  had  to  work 
day  and  night  to  throw  up  the  necessary  breastworks  against 
the  fortifications  of  the  enemy.  One  battery  was  put  up  on 
Sugar-Loaf-Hill.  As  no  horses  had  been  supplied,  the  men  had 
to  pull  up  the  cannon  with  great  difficulties.  Preparations  were 
made  to  open  up  all  our  batteries  on  July  6th,  and  we  could  easily 
notice  the  anxiety  of  the  enemy  at  our  progress. 

JULY  6xH. — Our  expectations  were  much  surpassed,  how 
ever,  when  we  found  in  the  morning  of  July  6th,  that  the  rebels 
had  left  their  fort  quietly  during  the  night  and  had  retreated 
over  the  South  Bay  to  Huberton,  Skenesborough  and  Fort  Anne. 
They  were  closely  followed  by  the  Royal  army  and  the  fleet  after 
opening  the  boom  on  the  bridge.  The  regiments  Prince  Friedrich 
and  the  62nd  English  received  orders  from  Gen.  Bourgoyne  to 
occupy  Fort  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence  under  com 
mand  of  Brig.-Gen.  James  Hamilton.  We  disembarked  and 
marched  with  the  band  playing  to  Fort  Ticonderoga.  The  colors 
of  the  enemy  were  hauled  down  at  once,  and  the  colors  of  the 
regiment  hoisted  on  one  of  the  bastions.  In  the  evening  the 
regiment  Prince  Friedrich  took  up  quarters  below  the  fort.  Only 
a  guard  was  placed  in  the  fort,  because  the  barracks  were  partly 
damaged  and  besides  very  dirty.  The  English  regiment  No.  62 
under  Lt.-Col.  Amstruther  took  up  their  quarters  at  Mount 
Independence. 


94  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

DESCRIPTION  OF  FORT  TICONDEROGA. 

Fort  Ticonderoga  (Carillon)  was  built  by  the  French  to 
serve  as  a  frontier  of  their  possessions  in  this  part  of  the  country 
against  the  English  colonies.  It  is  layed  out  in  a  regular  square 
with  4  bastions  and  2  "Ravelins"  on  the  north  side,  thrown  up  of 
earth,  revetted  however,  as  far  as  the  dry  ditch  with  quarry- 
stone.  It  is  situated  on  a  cape  at  a  point  where  the  South-Bay 
and  the  outlet  of  Lake  George  join,  forming  a  narrow  river 
running  into  Lake  Champlain.  This  passage  can  be  controlled 
from  the  fort  itself,  and  still  better  from  a  redoubt  situated 
nearer  the  water.  There  are  barracks  for  600-800  men  in  the 
fort,  built  of  quarry-stone,  which  is  much  found  here.  On  the 
west  side  towards  the  portage  to  Lake  George  on  a  hill  are  the 
old  French  lines  made  of  earth,  which  protest  very  well  the  nar 
row  passage  on  land  from  Lage  George,  as  was  shown  on  July 
8th,  1758,  when  Gen.  Abercrombie  made  an  attack  with  16000 
men  on  4000  Frenchmen  and  Canadians,  who  were  defending 
these  lines  and  withstood  and  repulsed  the  English.  According 
to  the  first  design  of  this  fort,  these  fortifications  were  only  put 
up  to  withstand  an  attack  from  Lake  George.  The  north  side  of 
the  fort  was  unprotected.  The  rebels  had  been  in  possession  of 
the  fort  since  May  I7th,  1775,  when  they  took  it  under  Colonels 
Allen  and  Easton.  The  Royal  Army  pursued  the  fleeing  rebels 
by  land  and  water  as  far  as  Skenesborough  and  Hubertson.  The 
left  wing  of  the  rebel  army  was  taken  at  Skenesborough  and 
the  right  at  Huberton,  also  all  their  artillery,  ammunition,  pro 
visions  and  baggage.  Besides,  Capt.  Carterof  captured  and 
burned  five  vessels. 

JULY  7TH. — All  night  long  the  men  stood  to  their  arms. 
Brigadier  Fraser,  supported  by  the  vanguard  of  Ma j. -Gen.  v. 
Riedesel,  met  2000  rebels  in  a  very  favorable  position  at  Huber 
ton.  Although  Brigadier  Frazer  had  only  half  of  his  vanguard 
together,  and  no  artillery  whatever  (it  had  been  impossible  to 
take  it  along)  he  made  an  attack  and  conquered  the  rebels.  Maj- 
Gen.  v.  Riedesel  with  a  company  of  Brunswick  Yaeger  and  80 
men  from  the  grenadier  and  chasseur  battalions,  arrived  just 
in  time  to  finish  the  affair.  More  than  200  of  the  enemy  were 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  95 

killed,  among  them  many  of  their  best  officers;  a  still  greater 
number  were  wounded.  Eighteen  officers  and  260  men  were  made 
prisoners  and  brought  back  to  Ticonderoga  where,  after  a  time, 
they  were  set  to  work. 

JULY  STH. — On  the  8th  of  July,  the  9th  English  regiment 
under  Ltd. -Col.  Hill  (from  the  right  flank  of  our  army),  was 
attacked  near  Fort  Anne  by  a  large  number  of  rebels,  the  attack 
lasting  more  than  three  hours,  after  which  time  the  enemy  was 
driven  back.  The  rebels  abandoned  the  fort  in  consequence  of 
this  rencontre,  leaving  it  in  ruins.  It  happened  that  every  time 
the  rebels  met  our  troops,  they  soon  withdrew  and  could  not  hold 
out  against  our  army. 

IN  CAMP  AT  SKENESBOROUGH  HOUSE,  JULY  IOTH,  1777. 

On  the  6th  of  July  the  enemy  was  compelled  through  the 
perserverance  and  activity  of  our  army  to  leave  Ticonderoga. 
On  this  same  day  the  right  wing  of  the  enemy  was  driven  back 
beyond  Skenesborough,  and  the  left  to  Huberton,  losing  all  ar 
tillery  and  five  vessels  armed  with  cannon,  which  were  blown  up, 
by  the  brigade  of  canoe  boats  under  Capt.  Carterof,  who  acted 
very  courageously.  The  enemy  lost  also  the  greater  part  of  their 
ammunition,  provisions,  stores  of  all  kinds  and  the  baggage. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  Brig.  Gen.  Eraser  at  the  head  of  a  little 
more  than  half  of  the  vanguard  and  without  any  artillery,  (it 
had  been  impossible  to  take  it  along,  although  he  had  tried  very 
hard)  met  2000  rebels,  which  were  in  a  very  good  position.  Brig. 
Gen.  Eraser  attacked  and  whipped  them.  A  great  number  of  the 
best  officers  and  200  men  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  a  greater 
number  were  wounded,  and  more  than  200  men  made  prisoners. 

Maj.  Gen.  v.  Riedesel  arrived  at  the  right  moment  with 
his  van-guard,  consisting  of  the  Yaeger  company,  and  80  men 
from  the  grenadier  and  chasseur  battalions,  to  assist  Brig.  Gen. 
Eraser.  In  a  short  time  he  won  the  honors  of  the  battle  for 
himself  and  his  troops  by  his  well  defined  orders  and  the  courage 
ous  execution  of  them.  On  the  8th,  Lt.  Col.  Hill  at  the  head 
of  the  9th  English  regiment  was  attacked  near  Fort  Anne  by 
the  enemy,  who  numbered  six  times  as  many  as  his  corps.  He 


96  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

forced  them  to  retreat,  however,  after  losing  many  of  their  men, 
and  kept  up  a  continuous  firing  for  three  hours. 

The  result  of  this  affair  was  the  leaving  and  demolishing 
of  Fort  Anne  by  the  enemy,  and  part  of  our  army  is  now  in  pos 
session  of  the  other  side  of  the  fort. 

For  this  fortunate  and  rapid  progress  of  our  arms,  we  should, 
in  the  first  place,  be  grateful  to  God,  and  afterwards  give  thanks 
and  praise  to  the  troops  in  general,  especially,  however,  to  Gen. 
Fraser,  who  by  his  clever  behavior  and  courage  inspired  his 
officers  and  soldiers  with  the  same  qualities,  thus  doing  a  great 
and  noble  service  to  the  king,  and  all  honor  to  the  art  of  war. 

This  corps  has  besides  the  merit  of  having  endured  all  the 
hardships  of  war  and  bad  weather  without  bread,  and  without 
growling  about  it. 

There  shall  be  divine  service  at  the  army  and  the  van 
guard  next  Sunday  on  account  of  the  fortunate  progress  of  the 
war.  There  shall  also  be  a  bonfire  at  sunset  on  the  same  day, 
and  cannon  and  rifles  shall  be  fired  at  Ticonderoga,  Crown- 
point  and  in  the  camps  at  Castleton  and  at  the  posts  of  the  Brey- 
mann  corps. 

(signed)     Bourgoyne. 

JULY  I3TH. — To  celebrate  the  fortunate  events,  big  fires  were 
lighted  in  the  evening. 

It  is  certain  that  the  rebels  had  suffered  a  great  loss  through 
the  hasty  retreat  from  Ticonderoga.  This  place,  and  also  Fort 
Stanwyx  were  considered  by  Congress  passages  to  the  colonies, 
and  orders  had  been  given  to  fortify  them  in  spite  of  great  ex 
pense  and  loss  of  life.  We  found  in  Ticonderoga  and  on  Mount 
Independence  more  than  80  iron  cannon  of  considerable  size,  a 
great  amount  of  ammunition,  all  sorts  of  provisions  besides  other 
necessities  of  war.  Furthermore,  very  little  of  the  barracks  and 
works  had  been  ruined.  They  had  attempted  to  improve  these 
for  the  last  two  years,  doing  all  they  possibly  could.  Not  only 
the  old  fortifications  of  Fort  Ticonderoga  and  the  so-called  French 
lines,  had  been  renewed  and  increased  during  this  time,  but  the 
hill  just  opposite  the  fort  had  been  cleared  of  the  wood,  and 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  97 

a  wooden  fort  been  erected  there,  strengthening  the  whole 
with  trenches  and  batteries.  They  had  called  this  mountain  on 
account  of  its  location  and  their  own  intentions  "Mount  Inde 
pendence."  The  whole  was  well  done  and  showed  no  lack  of 
clever  engineers  among  the  rebels. 

A  bridge  of  more  than  350  feet  long,  was  built  from  Ticon- 
deroga  to  Mount  Independence,  which  served  not  alone  for  the 
purpose  of  communication  between  the  two  forts,  but  also  to 
block  completely  the  passage  and  entrance  for  ships  to  South 
Bay,  a  piece  of  work  which  should  be  noted  for  curiosity's  sake, 
and  which  does  honor  to  human  mind  and  power.  It  is  only 
to  be  regretted  that  the  work  was  commenced  for  fighting  pur 
poses.  It  therefore,  will  hardly  be  completed  as  it  deserves.  It 
may  be  compared  to  the  work  of  Colossus  in  the  fables  of  the 
heathen. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BRIDGE  BETWEEN  TICONDEROGA  AND 
MOUNT  INDEPENDENCE. 

The  width  of  the  water  between  Ticonderoga  and  Mount 
Independence  is,  as  mentioned  before,  more  than  700  feet,  and 
the  depth  in  the  middle  25  feet,  which  diminishes  very  little  to 
wards  the  banks,  thus  allowing  even  big  vessels  heavily  loaded,  to 
pass.  The  current  is  so  strong  that  a  pontoon  bridge,  or  any 
other  kind  of  floating  bridge,  could  not  resist  it  for  any  length 
of  time,  not  taking  into  consideration  an  occasional  strong  wind. 
For  supporting  and  strengthening  the  bridge  23  caissons  (as  the 
rebels  called  them),  filled  with  stone,  had  been  put  into  the  water 
in  a  straight  line  across.  These  caissons  are  made  of  tree  trunks 
3-4  feet  in  diameter  and  20-25  feet  long,  put  together  in  squares. 
In  the  beginning  they  were  kept  in  place  by  anchors.  After  they 
had  been  built  up  above  the  water,  they  were  filled  with  quarry 
stones,  of  which  there  is  an  abundance.  This  would  sink  them 
and  keep  them  in  place  under  water. 

If  you  take  into  consideration  the  depth  of  the  water,  you 
can  get  an  idea  of  the  amount  of  work  involved. 

It  was  first  decided  to  put  the  bridge  on  top  of  these  caissons, 
which,  however,  had  not  been  completely  filled  with  stone.  The 


98  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

middle  of  the  bridge  was  intended  for  a  drawbridge  for  the  pas 
sage  of  big  vessels.  Smaller  boats  were  to  pass  underneath,  the 
caissons  extending  above  the  water  10  feet  and  more.  Now  this 
plan  was  changed,  and  a  floating  bridge  of  strong  beams  was 
made  on  one  side  of  the  caissons.  In  order  to  prevent  all  vessels 
from  passing  this  bridge,  even  by  force,  some  sort  of  a  turnpike 
had  been  constructed  of  beams  fastened  together  with  heavy  chains 
three  inches  in  diameter,  completely  blocking  all  passage.  Al 
though  the  construction  of  the  bridge  had  cost  them  about  3000 
lives  in  two  years,  the  men  dying  from  fatigue  and  fever  con 
tracted  by  the  unhealthy  location  of  the  place  and  the  foul  water, 
the  rebels  had  kept  on  working  continuously  with  unfailing 
courage. 

It  is  well  worth  mentioning  this  fact,  as  such  perseverance 
is  seldom  found  in  the  history,  except  in  a  republic,  where  a  gen 
eral  participation  in  a  common  cause  would  inspire  and  hold  it. 
It  is  rarely,  if  ever,  found  in  monarchies.  To  appreciate  the 
value  of  the  work  still  more,  I  want  to  mention  that,  before 
starting  the  work  in  such  a  wild,  uncultivated  country,  saw-mills, 
powder-mills  and  forges  had  to  be  built,  dwellings  erected  and 
supplies  provided.  We  also  found  saltpeter  factories,  and  even 
soap  works  put  up  for  the  benefit  of  the  garrison,  in  which  the  fat 
of  the  slaughtered  cattle  was  used  very  economically. 

The  enemy  retreated  further  towards  the  Hudson,  and  Gen. 
Bourgoyne  followed  them  over  Fort  Anne,  Edwards,  Miller  and 
Hardy,  which  forts  the  rebels  left  without  resistance.  Six  hun 
dred  rebels  had  also  left  Fort  George  on  the  i8th  of  July,  with 
out  offering  any  resistance,  after  taking  away  the  greater  part 
of  their  provisions,  ammunition,  etc.,  etc.,  and  setting  fire  to  the 
fort  and  all  that  could  not  be  taken.  We  had  now  free  passage 
across  Lake  George  (Lac  St.  Sacrement)  and  began  to  take  our 
boats  and  artillery  across  the  portage  to  this  lake.  Half  of  the 
Sixty-second  English  regiment  and  half  of  the  regiment  Prince 
Friederich  under  Lt.  Col.  Amstruther,  were  sent  there  to  do  the 
work.  There  were  very  few  horses  as  yet;  they  had  to  be  sent 
from  Canada  on  big  rafts.  These  rafts  were  also  the  only  convey 
ances  on  which  provisions  for  the  army  could  be  sent  and  every- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  99 

thing  was  done  to  pass  them  across  the  portage.  The  army  of  the 
enemy  retreated  still  farther  until  they  settled  at  Halfmoon,  a 
post  very  advantageously  situated.  Their  front  was  covered  by 
the  Mohawk  River,  and  their  right  flank  by  the  Hudson,  on 
which  they  could  control  the  convoy  of  supplies  and  equipments. 
At  this  time  the  army  of  the  rebels  amounted  to  about  15,000 
men,  of  which  Maj.  Gen.  Horatio  Gates  was  in  command.  Gen. 
Bourgoyne  was  not  able  to  follow  them  with  the  royal  army  as 
quickly,  because  the  transportation  of  the  supplies  overland  from 
Lake  George,  and  from  thereon  by  boat  on  the  Hudson,  was 
very  difficult,  particularly  on  account  of  the  lack  of  horses  and 
wagons.  It  took  at  least  five  hours  to  cover  this  distance.  The 
farmers  had  plenty  of  horses,  and  we  probably  could  have  had 
all  we  needed  from  those  who  were  still  loyal  to  the  king  (many 
of  them  were),  had  it  not  been  for  the  Indians  in  the  army,  who 
by  marauding  and  cruelties,  forced  the  farmers  to  leave  their 
homesteads,  seeking  shelter  for  themselves  and  their  cattle  with 
the  army  of  the  rebels.  Here  they  were  completely  safe.  It  did 
not  make  any  difference  to  the  Indians,  if  they  attacked  a  subject 
loyal  to  the  king,  or  one  friendly  to  the  rebels ;  they  set  fire  to  all 
their  homes,  took  away  everything,  killed  the  cattle,  leaving  them 
dead  on  the  spot.  The  news  of  these  cruelties  spread  and  were 
enlarged,  much  to  our  disadvantage,  and  the  enemy  knew  how 
to  make  the  best  of  it  for  their  own  benefit.  The  Indians  had 
probably  only  joined  us  with  the  intention  of  robbing  and  steal 
ing,  and  they  did  not  hesitate  to  take  even  our  things.  Nothing 
could  be  gained  by  joining  the  rebels,  as  they  were  badly  dressed 
and  without  money,  at  least  without  coins,  paper  money  not  being 
liked  by  the  Indians.  It  would  certainly  have  been  better,  if  we 
had  not  had  any  Indians  with  us. 

AUGUST  IST. — As  the  62nd  English  regiment  left  us  to 
march  to  Fort  George,  the  entire  regiment  Prince  Friedrich  took 
up  quarters  on  Mount  Independence,  this  side  being  without  pro 
tection.  Two  companies  which  had  been  stationed  near  the 
portage,  had  already  gone  there  on  July  26th.  The  camp  was 
pitched  on  the  lines  towards  the  road  to  Huberton.  The  two 
schooners  "Maria"  and  "Carleton"  were  in  the  South  Bay,  and 


ioo  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

two  gunboats  stayed  in  the  small  river  on  the  left.  Only  one 
sentinel  kept  guard  at  Fort  Ticonderoga.  Gen.  Bourgoyne  seemed 
to  consider  the  maintenance  of  this  post  of  importance  to  the 
army,  and  the  53rd  English  regiment  was  sent  as  reinforcements. 
Brigadier  Hamilton,  who  had  been  in  charge,  was  thereby  re- 
leived,  and  Brig.  Powell  took  the  command.  Hamilton  went 
back  to  the  army.  The  royal  army  marched  towards  the  Mohawk 
River  and  Stillwater  and  crossed  the  Hudson.  Gen.  Bourgoyne 
expected  to  meet  Brig.  St.  Leger  any  day. 

AUGUST  I2TH. — The  rebels  had  brought  together  at  Ben- 
nington  a  great  number  of  horses  and  cattle  from  New  Hamp 
shire,  which  were  either  for  their  own  use,  or  to  be  taken  to  the 
army.  It  was  decided  that  Lt.  Col.  Baum  with  the  Brunswick 
dragoons,  some  light  troops  and  a  number  of  Indians,  in  all  about 
500  men  and  2  cannon,  should  make  an  attempt  to  take  this  stock 
away  from  the  enemy.  Governor  Skene  was  to  accompany  him, 
and  Lt.  Col.  Breymann,  who  had  advanced  to  Bottenkill,  was  to 
support  him  with  the  grenadier  and  chasseurs  battalions.  It 
seems  almost,  as  if  the  rebels  had  counted  on  this  expedition  and 
had  laid  in  ambush  for  them,  for  as  soon  as  the  Baum  corps  had 
reached  Sancock  (Saintcoick)  Mill  on  August  i6th,  they  were 
surrounded  and  attacked  by  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy  under 
General  Starcke.  Lt.  Col.  Baum  himself  and  some  of  the  officers 
were  killed,  the  whole  corps  with  the  exception  of  only  a  few  of 
the  light  infantry,  made  prisoners,  and  the  cannon  taken.  Lt. 
Col.  Breymann,  who  had  been  delayed  by  rain  and  bad  roads, 
arrived  too  late  to  change  matters,  and  although  he  drove  the 
enemy  back  twice,  he  was  forced  to  retreat,  losing  not  only  a 
number  of  men  partly  killed  and  partly  wounded,  but  also  his 
two  cannon. 

Some  of  the  colonists,  pretending  loyalty  to  the  king,  had 
joined  the  corps;  but  they  were  among  the  first  to  open  fire 
against  them.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Baum  himself  is  said  to  have 
been  killed  by  one  of  them.  The  rebels  could  always  get  all  the 
information  wanted  about  the  movements  of  this  corps  through 
these  people,  who  merely  had  to  pretend  to  be  friends  of  the 
English  to  be  received  by  the  corps.  Governor  Skene,  who  was 
to  persuade  the  people  to  take  up  the  king's  cause,  seems  to  have 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  101 

made  grave  mistakes,  particularly  by  sending  them  out  to  levy 
more  men  for  the  army,  or  to  get  news  from  the  enemy.  This 
mistake  was  probably  the  chief  cause  of  the  fatal  outcome  of  the 
expedition. 

Shortly  after  this  affair,  more  bad  news  was  received.  Brig 
adier  St.  Leger  had  been  obliged  to  retreat  in  great  haste  from 
(Stanwyx)  Stanwix  to  Canada,  and  no  good  could  any  longer 
be  expected  for  us  from  that  side.  One  part  of  this  corps  under 
(August  6)  Sir  John  Johnston,  consisting  of  a  few  regulars  and 
some  Indians,  but  without  cannon,  had  gained  some  advantage 
over  1000  men  of  militia,  who  attacked  Brigadier  St.  Leger. 
However,  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  take  Fort  Stanwix, 
which  was  well  fortified  and  commanded  by  the  Colonels  Gense- 
vort  and  Willet,  two  very  able  officers.  Besides  General  Her- 
kimer  was  advancing  with  4000  men  on  the  Mohawk  River, 
which  frightened  the  Indians  to  such  an  extent  that  they  forced 
Johnston  not  only  to  give  up  the  sieges  of  the  fort,  but  also  to 
retreat,  leaving  the  camp  and  all  baggage  behind.  The  Indians 
then  left  them,  to  return  to  the  camp,  which  they  plundered 
themselves.  All  these  mishaps,  and  especially  the  fact  that  the 
great  English  army  under  General  Howe  did  not  make  any  ad 
vance  up  the  Hudson  from  New  York,  put  the  army  of  General 
Bourgoyne  in  a  bad  position.  The  army  of  the  enemy  at  Half- 
moon  could  not  only  be  supported  and  enlarged  by  the  rtoops 
from  General  Washington's  army,  who  did  not  need  them  badly, 
but  a  great  part  of  the  militia  was  available  now,  since  harvest 
time  was  almost  over.  The  army  of  the  rebels  had  increased 
therefore  to  about  25-30,000  men,  while  ours  had  decreased 
through  the  fatal  affairs,  etc.,  etc. 

Not  only  was  the  transportation  of  supplies  to  our  army 
very  difficult  on  account  of  the  attacks  made  by  the  enemy,  but  all 
communication  between  our  armies  was  cut  off  in  the  beginning 
of  September. 

For  want  of  news  from  the  other  part,  I  shall  limit  my  de 
scription  to  our  present  condition. 

Mount  Independence  was  garrisoned  by  the  regiment  Prince 


IO2  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Friedrich  and  four  companies  of  the  53rd  English  regiment, 
the  greater  part  of  which  was  sick  in  the  hospital  with  an  epi 
demic  of  fever.  From  these  two  regiments  Fort  Ticonderoga 
was  furnished  with  a  guard  of  30  men.  The  other  four  com 
panies  of  the  53rd  regiment  stood  at  the  portage  of  Lake  George 
and  kept  a  guard  of  15  men  on  Sugar-loaf  Hill,  where 
they  had  four  cannon.  On  the  Isle  "Diamant"  in  Lake  George, 
where  the  baggage  was  put  for  safety,  200  men  were  stationed 
with  a  few  cannon;  of  these  30  men  were  detached  to  stay  at 
Fort  George.  This  was  the  state  at  the  posts  under  the  command 
of  General  Harry  Watson  Powell,  when  in  the  morning  of  Sep 
tember  1 8th,  we  were  attacked  by  1,400  rebels  led  by  Brigadiers 
Browne  and  Warner,  General  Lincoln  being  commander  in  chief. 
The  plan  of  this  attack  was  excellently  laid  out,  however,  the  at 
tempt  did  not  have  quite  such  good  results  as  might  have  been 
expected.  The  enemy  could  approach  our  posts  with  great  se 
curity,  as  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  send  out  patrols  for  any 
distance,  the  woods  being  so  thick  and  extensive.  The  enemy, 
who  had  advanced  very  near  our  post,  had  chosen  our  call  for 
reveille  for  our  ships  at  South  Bay  as  the  signal  for  the  attack. 
At  the  same  time,  another  attack  was  made  on  the  camp  at  the 
portage  and  Sugar-Loaf-Hill,  and  on  the  picket  who  stood  in  the 
woods  on  the  road  to  Huberton  before  Mount  Independence. 
The  first  two  posts  were  taken  immediately  and  the  4th  com 
pany  of  the  53rd  regiment  was  made  prisoners.  The  watchful 
ness  of  our  picket,  however,  prevented  the  rebels  from  succeeding 
at  our  end,  and  they  even  missed  the  picket.  The  regiment  had 
time  to  go  down  the  lines,  but  the  cannon  on  Sugar-Loaf-Hill 
opened  fire  on  us  at  once.  Their  attempt  to  sink  our  vessels  by 
cannon  shots  failed,  however. 

The  rebels  being  masters  of  the  portage,  could  now  easily 
get  close  to  Fort  Ticonderoga.  They  appeared  there  in  the  morn 
ing  at  9  o'clock,  using  the  lines  and  redoubts  around  the  fort  for 
their  protection.  These  had  not  been  garrisoned  by  us  on  ac 
count  of  lack  of  men.  The  garrison  of  the  fort  consisted  at 
this  time  of  the  usual  guard,  one  officer  and  33  men  from  the 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  103 

regiment  Prince  Friedrich.  They  had  no  ammunition,  except 
some  old  iron  cannon,  which  had  been  found  at  the  fort.  They 
were  also  without  provision  and  altogether  in  a  helpless  condi 
tion.  If  the  enemy  had  at  the  very  beginning  tried  to  take  the 
fort  by  storm,  they  would,  no  doubt,  have  succeeded,  and  besides, 
would  have  gotten  all  the  baggage  belonging  to  the  officers  of  the 
army.  Lieutenant  Volckmar,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
guard,  managed  with  the  help  of  a  ton  of  powder  found  acci 
dentally  in  the  fort,  to  set  one  of  the  cannon  going,  keeping  the 
rebels  thereby  at  a  distance  and  answering  to  the  shots  from 
Sugar-Loaf-Hill  and  the  French  line.  This  ton  of  powder  caught 
fire,  however,  and  Lieutenant  Volckmar  with  two  of  his  men 
were  fatally  burned.  It  was  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  suc- 
ceeed  in  reinforcing  Ticonderoga  with  troops  and  provisions. 

SEPTEMBER  22ND. — We  were  kept  in  this  position  for  four 
days  ,  until  September  22nd,  surrounded  by  the  rebels  who  tried 
several  times  by  night  as  well  as  by  day,  to  surprise  us.  Their 
attacks,  however,  did  not  have  the  desired  result,  we  were  con 
tinually  on  the  lookout  for  them  and  ready  to  repulse  them.  On 
September  2ist  we  received  reinforcements  of  150  men  of  the 
Brunswick  troops  from  Canada,  who  happened  to  arrive  and 
were  willing  to  join  us.  The  rebels  withdrew  the  next  morn 
ing  across  Lake  George  after  losing  about  80  men  and  after 
ruining  and  burning  all  implements  necessary  for  the  portage,  as 
wagons,  bateaux,  etc.,  etc.  They  also  took  some  of  our  can 
non  along.  We  lost  the  4th  English  Company  and  one  man  of 
our  regiment.  Only  a  few  were  wounded.  The  lack  of  ability 
of  the  gunners  accounted  probably  for  our  small  loss. 

SEPTEMBER  23RD. — Brigadier  Browne,  while  retreating 
across  Lage  George,  attempted  an  attack  on  the  Isle  of  Diamant, 
and  used  for  this  purpose  the  gun  boats  and  bateaux  found  at  the 
portage,  also  the  cannon  taken  from  Sugar-Loaf-Hill.  Captain 
Aubry  of  the  47th  English  regiment,  and  in  command  of  the 
troops  on  the  island,  received  them  with  such  firing,  that  they 
lost  courage  and  left  the  bateaux  and  cannon  in  great  haste. 

General  Carleton,  who  had  been  informed  of  the  helpless 


IO4  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

state  of  the  army,  tried  his  best  to  save  us  and  sent  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  St.  Leger  from  Canada  with  a  detachment  of  the  34th 
English  regiment,  the  royal  regiment  New  York  under  Sir  John 
Johnston  and  the  Yaeger  corps  from  Hesse-Hanau.  A  little  later 
he  sent  Brigadier  McLean  with  the  3ist  Regiment  and  the  regi 
ment  Royal  Highlander  Emigrants,  to  cover  the  retreat  of  Gen 
eral  Bourgoyne's  army.  It  was,  however,  too  late;  the  army 
could  not  longer  be  saved.  McLean,  therefore  turned  back  at 
Crown  Point.  He  returned  to  Canada,  which  had  few  troops 
left.  General  Bourgoyne's  army  was  at  Stillwater  in  a  bad  posi 
tion,  completely  cut  off  from  Canada  and  us.  It  was  also  much 
disabled  by  a  number  of  small  engagements.  The  Indians  had 
deserted  with  their  leader,  St.  Luc  la  Corne,  as  there  was  nothing 
to  plunder  and  they  would  have  to  fight  in  real  earnest.  There 
was  no  hope  that  a  division  of  the  great  English  army  would  come 
up  the  Hudson  to  the  rescue.  The  supplies  grew  less  every  day, 
and  no  more  could  be  expected. 

OCTOBER  7TH. — On  this  day  an  attack  was  made  on  the 
left  flank  of  the  enemy  with  the  intention  of  cutting  their  way 
through,  but  it  was  defeated,  suffering  the  heavy  loss  of  some  of 
their  best  troops  and  two  able  officers,  Brigadier  Simon  Frazer 
and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Breymmann  of  the  Brunswick  troops. 
Both  were  killed  after  fighting  most  courageusly. 

OCTOBER  STH. — The  army  retreated  to  Saratoga  with  great 
difficulty  losing  all  bateaux  and  the  greater  part  of  the  provisions 
and  baggage.  There  was  no  possibility  of  going  further.  The 
rebels  had  surrounded  the  army  completely,  all  passages  being 
strongly  guarded,  making  it  impossible  for  the  army  to  cut 
through.  There  was  considerable  want  of  food.  For  some 
time  the  soldiers  had  not  received  more  than  one  quarters  rations. 
Matters  grew  worse,  and  it  became  necessary,  after  holding  coun 
cil  of  war  from  October  I3th  to  i6th,  to  capitulate  with  Major 
General  Horatio  Gates.  The  following  convention  was  drawn 
up,  decided  upon  and  signed  by  the  two  generals,  according  to 
which  the  Royal  Army  had  to  leave  the  lines  at  Saratoga  on  the 
afternoon  of  October  I7th,  1777,  and  lay  down  their  arms. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  105 

This  was  the  sad  ending  of  an  army  which  seemed  destined 
for  glorious  victory,  but  which  had  lost  its  chances  by  following 
too  eagerly  its  apparent  advantages  and  glories.  Besides,  ad 
vancing  too  hastily  in  a  wild  and  unknown  country,  without  a 
definite  plan,  made  them  fall  victims  to  the  cunning  of  the  enemy. 
We  find  similar  occurrences  in  history,  viz.,  in  the  defeat  of  the 
Swedes  at  Pultawa,  and  in  Peter  the  Great's  critical  situation  on 
the  River  Pruth.  Both  had  stronger  armies  than  we,  General 
Bourgoyne's  army,  or  rather  "corps,"  being  decreased  to  3500 
men,  who  were  unable  to  hold  out  any  longer  against  hunger 
and  a  force  of  30,000  enemies.  England's  greatest  loss  may  be 
considered  the  loss  of  the  artillery,  which  was  taken  by  the 
rebels. 

ABTICLES  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 

BETWEEN  LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  BOURGOYNE  AND  MAJOR-GEN 
ERAL  GATES. 

1.  The  troops  under  Lieutenant-General  Bourgoyne  are  to 
leave  their  encampments  with  all  military  honors  and  artillery 
from  the  retrenchments,  and  march  to  the  river  side,  where  the 
old  fort  used  to  be.     Here  the  arms  are  to  be  laid  down  and 
left  behind  with  the  artillery.     Their  own  officers  have  to  give 
the  word  of  command  for  grounding  the  arms. 

2.  Free  passage  to  England  is  granted  the  army  of  General 
Bourgoyne  under  the  condition  that  during  the  present  war  in 
North  America  the  arms  will  not  be  taken  up  again.     The  port 
near  Boston  will  be  open  for  the  ships  which  take  the  troops  on 
board  whenever  General  Howe  gives  the  order. 

3.  In  case  of  a  cartel  calling  for  an  exchange  of  General 
Bourgoyne's  army,  or  part  of  the  same,  the  above  article  is  con 
sidered  void,  as  far  as  the  exchange  is  concerned. 

4.  The  army  under  General  Bourgoyne  is  to  march  by  the 
nearest,  best  and  most  convenient  road  to  Massachusetts  Bay. 
The  troops  are  to  be  quartered  as  near  Boston  as  possible,  so 
there  cannot  be  any  delay  in  embarking  when  the  transports  ar 
rive. 


io6  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

5.  By  General  Gates  order,  on  their  march,  and  while  in 
the  quarters,  the  troops  are  provided  with  eatables,  etc.,  the  same 
as  his  own  army.     Horses,  provisions  and  teams  for  the  officers 
and  their  baggage,  are  also  to  be  provided  as  far  as  possible. 

6.  All  officers  may  keep  their  wagons,  etc.,  pack  horses  and 
other  cattle.     No  baggage  is  to  be  searched  or  tampered  with, 
General   Bourgoyne  giving  his  word  of  honor  that  no  public 
property  is  hidden  therein.     General  Gates  will  take  care  that 
this  article  is  strictly  followed.     In  case  wagons  be  needed  for 
the  transport  of  the  officers'  baggage  during  the  march,  same  are 
to  be  provided  by  the  country  as  many  as  can  be  had  at  ordinary 
terms. 

7.  On  the   march,   and  while  quartered   in   Massachusetts 
Bay,  the  officers  are  not  to  be  separated  from  their  men  if  cir 
cumstances  permit.     The  officers  shall  receive  quarters  accord 
ing  to  their  rank  and  shall  not  be  prevented  from  assembling  their 
men  for  roll  call  or  such. 

8.  All  corps  of  General  Bourgoyne's  army,  made  up  of  what 
ever  they  are,  sailors,  artisans,  drivers,  independent  companies, 
boatmen,  or  any  others,  who  have  followed  the  army,  no  matter 
from  which  country  they  come,  are  to  be  included  in  the  fore 
going  articles,  and  are  to  be  considered  as  English  subjects. 

9.  All  Canadians,  or  people  belonging  to  the  Canadian  gov 
ernment,  no  matter  what  they  are,  sailors,  boatmen,  artisans, 
drivers,  independent  companies  and  any  others  who  have  fol 
lowed  the  army,  not  falling  under  the  head  of  those  mentioned, 
are  to  be  permitted  to  return  there.     They  are  to  be  taken  by  the 
shortest  road  to  the  first  English  post  on  Lake  George.     They  are 
also  to  be  provided  with  food  and  provisions  like  the  rest  of  the 
troops,  and  have  also  to  submit  to  the  same  conditions  as  these, 
viz. :  not  to  serve  again  during  the  war  in  North  America. 

10.  Passports  are  to  be  granted  at  once  to  three  officers  not 
above  the  rank  of  a  captain,  who  will  be  sent  by  General  Bour 
goyne  with  despatches  to  Sir  William  Howe,  Sir  Guy  Carleton 
and  to  England,  via  New  York.     General  Gates  promising  on  his 
honor  that  these  despatches  will  not  be  opened.     These  officers 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  107 

will  leave  at  once  after  receipt  of  the  despatches,  traveling  as 
fast  as  possible  and  taking  the  shortest  way  to  their  destination. 

11.  During  the  stay  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  the  officers  are 
to  be  free  on  parole,  and  are  permitted  to  carry  their  swords. 

12.  Should  it  be  necessary  for  General  Bourgoyne's  army 
to  send  other  baggage  besides  their  equipment  to  Canada,  they 
shall  be  permitted  to  do  so  in  the  way  the  most  convenient  to 
them,  and  passports  shall  be  granted  them  for  this  purpose. 

13.  These  articles  shall  be  drawn  up  and  signed  by  both 
parties  to  be  exchanged  tomorrow  morning  at  9  o'clock.     Gen 
eral  Bourgoyne's  troops  are  to  leave  their  position  tomorrow 
afternoon  at  three  o'clock. 

In  camp  at  Saratory,  October  i6th,  1777. 

signed :  HORATIO  GATES, 

Major  General. 

To  remove  all  doubt  which  might  originate  through  not 
finding  Lieutenant-General  Bourgoyne's  name  especially  men 
tioned  in  the  above  articles,  Major  General  Gates  declares  that 
General  Bourgoyne's  name  is  included  as  if  it  was  particularly 
mentioned. 

The  rules  of  war  should  be  changed  by  a  general  every 
time  according  to  position  and  condition  of  the  country  in  which 
the  fighting  is  done.  In  a  strange  country,  the  ways  of  the  in 
habitants  should  be  accepted,  if  the  advantages  of  the  same  are 
clear  after  due  consideration. 

Their  customs  should  be  introduced  with  the  troops,  be 
cause  they  are  generally  the  best  suited  for  the  climate,  etc. 
For  this  reason  it  is  possible  to  gain  advantages  over  the  enemy 
in  Europe  with  lines  of  which  the  flank  can  be  covered,  with 
quarrees  in  the  plains  of  Tartary  and  Asia,  and  in  America  with 
single  corps,  light  infantry,  etc.,  like  the  Croats  and  Pandours, 
who  are  used  to  fighting  each  for  himself.  The  tactics  cus 
tomary  in  Europe  are  not  suitable  for  the  countries,  neither  can 
bayonets  nor  other  arms  or  artillery  be  used  to  advantage,  at 
least  very  seldom,  except  good  rifles.  The  woods  here  are  im- 


io8  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

mense,  and  a  European  can  hardly  get  an  idea  of  their  extent 
without  having  seen  them.  They  are  marshy,  full  of  under- 
bush  and  almost  impassable,  large  trees  having  fallen  down,  bar 
ring  the  way.  No  definite  plan  can  be  adopted,  in  case  of  an 
attack  or  defense.  Each  soldier  must  do  his  best  to  seek  cover 
behind  a  tree  and  advance  without  command,  keeping  an  eye 
only  on  the  movements  of  the  whole  body  of  soldiers,  to  which 
our  regular  troops  are  not  accustomed.  The  rebels,  who  have 
been  hunting  in  the  woods  from  childhood  on,  and  consequently 
are  good  shots,  have,  and  always  will  have,  the  advantage  over  us 
in  attacks  and  retreats,  especially  since  their  equipments  are  also 
lighter  and  easier  to  carry.  This  truth  is  confirmed  by  the  num 
ber  of  prisoners  made  on  both  sides.  So  much  is  certain,  that 
the  rebels  would  soon  be  defeated  and  their  case  lost  if  attacked 
on  a  plain  by  troops  arrayed  in  battle  order  according  to  the 
rules  of  tactics.  But  where  could  such  plains  be  found  here, 
and  even  if  found,  the  rebels  would  not  be  willing  to  open  a 
fight  or  wait  for  an  attack  on  the  same,  knowing  too  well  the 
advantages  of  their  own  way  of  fighting  or  defending  them 
selves. 

The  royal  armies  are  the  ones  to  make  the  attacks.  They 
came  over  to  fight  the  rebels,  and  the  rebels  can  always  select 
the  best  places  from  which  to  defend  themselves.  Whenever 
the  attack  proves  too  serious,  they  retreat,  and  to  follow  them 
is  of  little  value.  It  is  impossible  on  account  of  the  thick  woods, 
to  get  around  them,  cutting  them  off  from  a  pass,  or  to  force  them 
to  fight.  Never  are  they  so  much  to  be  feared  as  when  retreat 
ing.  Covered  by  the  woods,  the  number  of  enemies  with  which 
we  have  to  deal,  can  never  be  defined.  A  hundred  men  ap 
proaching  may  be  taken  for  a  corps.  The  same  are  attacked, 
they  retreat  fighting.  We  think  ourselves  victors  and  follow 
them ;  they  flee  to  an  ambush,  surround  and  attack  us  with  a  su 
perior  number  of  men  and  we  are  the  defeated.  These  are 
drawbacks  which  the  royal  army  cannot  avoid  under  the  cir 
cumstances.  The  rebels  have  also  plenty  of  spies,  because  for  the 
good  of  our  cause,  we  have  to  receive  all  deserters  with  kindness 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  109 

without  exception,  as  long  as  they  pretend  to  be  good  subjects 
and  loyal  to  the  king.  We  must  also  send  them  back  to  per 
suade  others  to  join  the  king's  party.  Our  army  has  no  spies 
whatever,  at  least  no  reliable  ones. 

The  scouting  parties  (light  troops)  (Coureurs  de  bois)  of 
the  rebels  are  made  up  of  volunteers  commanded  by  officers  with 
similar  interests  (their  whole  army  might  be  called  by  that 
name)  ;  they  go  out  in  small  troops  without  baggage  and  little 
provisions.  In  case  of  need  they  live  on  roots  and  game.  They 
are  fit  to  undertake  the  longest  incursions  all  around  the  royal 
army,  while  we  have  no  troops  who  can  do  so.  We  had  taken 
Indians  along  for  this  purpose;  however,  they  were  of  little  use. 
The  rebels  were  afraid  of  them  in  the  beginning  on  account  of 
their  cruelties,  but  after  they  came  to  know  them  better,  they 
lost  all  respect  for  them.  The  Indians  are  cowards  at  heart, 
and  go  to  war  only  for  what  they  may  get.  Therefore  they  do 
not  enter  in  any  serious  fights.  Besides,  they  are  not  used  to 
order  and  had  to  be  flattered  and  persuaded  to  fight  by  the  Eng 
lish  officers  who  were  supposed  to  be  their  commanders. 

The  reinforced  garrisons  of  Mount  Independence,  Ticon- 
deroga  and  the  Isle  of  Diamant,  which  were  now  left  to  their  own 
defense,  and  which  could  not  expect  any  more  help  from  Can 
ada,  amounted  to  2000  men,  who  were  not  able  to  hold  these 
posts  against  the  rebels  in  case  of  serious  attack.  Winter  ap 
proached  also  and  the  boats,  our  best  help  for  a  defense,  must 
shortly  be  taken  back  across  Lake  Champlain,  which  we  expected 
to  be  covered  with  ice  pretty  soon.  If  the  vessels  should  be  ice 
bound,  they  were  in  danger  of  being  burned  by  the  rebels.  More 
over,  our  provisions  for  the  troops  could  not  last  any  longer  than 
three  weeks,  and  we  had  run  short  of  ammunition.  We  could 
not  expect  to  have  these  necessary  articles  sent  up  from  Canada 
before  the  lake  would  be  frozen.  The  troops  had  also  no  winter 
clothing,  and  what  was  worse,  no  houses  or  cottages.  The  en 
gineers  offered  to  build  huts  for  500  men  in  six  weeks,  if  all  the 
boards  available  could  be  procured;  but  it  was  an  impossibility 
to  build  enough  for  the  garrison  in  its  present  stage — a  truth 
which  every  soldier  understood.  Brigadier  Powell  called  for  a 


no  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

council  of  war  in  the  end  of  October,  and  it  was  decided  for  all 
the  above-mentioned  reasons,  to  leave  these  posts,  burning  and 
demolishing  them  before  leaving,  so  the  rebels  could  not  use  them 
any  more.  We  commenced  now  in  real  earnest  to  load  the  boats 
with  the  artillery,  ammunition,  provisions,  hospital  and  baggage, 
and  Commodore  Lutwidge  started  with  the  same  to  Canada  on 
October  3 1  st.  Fort  George  was  then  abandoned  and  burned.  The 
garrison  from  the  Isle  of  Diamant,  joined  us  with  the  baggage  of 
the  prisoners,  after  burning  a  great  part  of  the  wooden  equip 
ments  to  diminish  them.  Everything  belonging  to  the  portage  of 
Lake  George,  also  the  bridge  and  saw  mills,  was  ruined.  Further 
more,  the  old  French  lines  were  demolished  and  the  cannon,  which 
we  could  not  take  along,  were  broken  and  blasted  during  the  last 
days.  After  all  this  was  finished,  all  things  which  could  be 
burned,  were  taken  to  those  places  to  which  we  intended  to  set 
fire,  and  after  retreat,  on  November  7th,  camp  was  broken  and 
all  tents  and  baggage  were  put  in  the  boats.  This  night  the 
troops  had  to  sleep  along  the  lines  on  the  ground  without  cover 
ing  and  fully  armed.  On  November  8th  before  daybreak,  the 
signal  was  given  to  start  the  fires  and  to  leave  by  blasting  the  last 
cannon.  All  at  once  we  saw  all  the  log  houses,  the  store  houses, 
the  hospital,  all  the  huts  and  cottages,  everything  which  could 
be  ruined  by  fire,  in  flames.  The  soldiers  were  very  busy,  think 
ing  this  to  be  the  end  of  their  trials.  The  floating  bridge  was  also 
cut  down  and  burned.  We  embarked  and  departed.  Immediately 
after,  the  explosion  at  Fort  Ticonderoga  took  place;  it  had  been 
filled  with  powder  to  which  fire  was  set  the  last  moment.  It  took 
us  four  days  to  cross  Lake  Champlain  and  on  November  I2th  we 
arrived  at  Fort  St.  John.  Next  day  it  began  to  get  very 
cold.  Fortunately  we  had  chosen  just  the  right  time  for  going 
back.  The  regiment  was  then  first  quartered  at  St.  Joseph,  and 
later  at  Berthier,  St.  Cuthbert,  La  Mauraie,  La  Valtrie,  St.  Sul- 
pice,  etc.,  in  winter  quarters. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  1 1 1 

FREE  THOUGHTS  ABOUT  THE  CAMPAIGN  OF  LIEU 
TENANT-GENERAL  JOHN  BOURGOYNE  IN  1777. 

Perhaps  too  free  for  an  officer  of  low  rank,  some  may  say. 
But  I  am  not  writing  for  the  public,  and  I  have  never  been  eager 
for  publication.  Only  for  you,  my  dear  brother,  have  I  taken 
the  pen  to  write  about  events  which  seem  to  interest  you.  For 
this  reason  I  shall  continue  to  express  for  you  alone  my  opinions 
as  a  soldier  who  has  had  a  few  experiences  and  who  has  tried  as 
much  as  possible  to  broaden  his  ideas  by  reading  and  thinking. 
My  motto  shall  be  impartiality.  I  shall  neither  accuse  nor  spare 
whenever  I  believe  myself  in  the  right  according  to  my  judgment. 

There  have  been  many  causes  for  the  unfortunate  outcome 
of  this  campaign,  which  has  been  of  such  fatal  consequence  for 
England.  The  chief  one  is  probably  the  disagreement  of  the 
ministry,  and  one  might  say  their  lack  of  knowledge  concerning 
their  American  colonies.  The  plan  of  war  did  not  take  into  con 
sideration  the  condition  of  the  country,  nor  the  strength  and 
power  of  the  rebels.  This  is  hard  on  the  English  government, 
but  the  reproach  seems  justified  through  the  actions  of  the  Eng 
lish  during  the  American  war. 

The  proposed  plans  of  General  Carleton,  a  man  whom 
talent  and  ability  must  be  granted  not  only  as  a  general,  but  also 
as  a  statesman,  were  not  accepted,  although  it  must  be  admitted 
that  he  had  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  conditions  in 
this  country  during  a  stay  of  eighteen  years.  Furthermore,  he 
had  proved  himself  worthy  of  being  a  chief  commander,  because 
he  had  succeeded  in  maintaining  Canada,  a  very  difficult  task 
under  the  circumstances.  He  surely  had  had  a  good  reason  for 
his  proposals.  It  must  be  added  in  honor  to  this  general,  that  he 
had  sent  reports  and  propositions  to  the  English  government  be 
fore  the  rebellion  had  really  broken  out.  However,  no  attention 
had  been  paid  to  them,  not  even  had  an  answer  been  considered 
necessary.  In  1775  he  was  left  to  his  own  resources  without 
troops  or  money,  although  it  was  known  that  the  rebels  had  al 
ready  invaded  Canada  from  two  sides,  across  Lake  Champlain 
and  the  Kennebeck  River,  and  that  on  account  of  the  unreliable- 


112  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

ness  of  the  Canadians  no  help  could  be  expected  from  them,  if 
he  should  not  attain  their  assistance  through  his  policy  and 
amiability.  Probably  the  greatest  obstacle  for  accepting  his  plans 
was  an  ill  feeling,  possibly  without  foundation,  or  entirely  per 
sonal,  on  the  part  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  Lord  George  Ger- 
maine.  Instead,  the  plans  of  his  rival,  General  Bourgoyne,  who  be 
longed  to  an  English  family  of  higher  rank,  and  who  was  also  a 
member  of  Parliamant,  were  accepted.  These  seemed  to  be  less 
difficult  and  less  expensive  to  execute.  Troops  and  money  could  be 
saved,  but  the  undertaking  was  bound  to  be  unsuccessful.  A  cam 
paign  against  the  rebels  undertaken  in  all  seriousness  at  the  very 
beginning  when  the  rebels  had  not  yet  become  so  obstinate  and 
had  less  assistance,  might  have  resulted  very  differently,  and  the  ex 
pense  would  have  been  far  less  than  it  actually  was.  As  the  plans 
for  the  campaign  had  been  kept  secret  from  Gen.  Carleton,  he  is 
not  in  the  least  to  blame  for  not  having  made  any  other  prepara 
tions  than  the  building  of  new  boats  and  the  repairing  of  the  old 
ones  when  Gen.  Bourgoyne  returned  from  England.  Maj.-Gen. 
Phillips  was  in  charge  of  the  artillery,  and  it  was  in  the  best  pos 
sible  condition.  However,  there  were  no  provisions  in  store,  and 
these  could  not  be  expected  from  England  before  the  arrival  of 
the  next  fleet  in  Quebec.  Gen.  Bourgoyne  arrived  with  the  new 
plan  of  operation  on  May  6th,  1777,  and  the  fleet  with  the  sup 
plies  ten  or  fourteen  days  later.  Because  a  campaign  was  un 
avoidable  under  the  circumstances,  the  season  demanded  that  it 
should  begin  at  once.  The  army  left  their  quarters  on  June  2nd. 
But  how  was  it  possible  to  procure  sufficient  provisions  and  other 
equipments  of  war  from  Quebec  at  this  time  of  the  year,  far  less 
get  together  in  such  a  hurry  the  necessary  horses,  wagons,  har 
nesses,  etc.,  needed  for  the  transfer  across  the  portage  of  Lake 
George  ?  The  consequence  was  that  the  army  suffered  from  lack 
of  provisions  already  at  Cumberland's  Head,  and  that  the  portage 
could  not  be  crossed  sooner  on  account  of  lack  of  teams.  If  it  had 
been  possible  to  do  so  right  after  Ticonderoga  was  taken,  it 
would  have  been  easy  to  conquer  Fort  George  with  little  loss,  the 
garrison  of  the  same  being  weakened  and  discouraged  by  the 
quick  surrender  of  Ticonderoga.  It  also  would  have  been  possible 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  113 

for  the  army  to  march  to  Albany,  because  no  troops  of  the  enemy 
had  at  that  time  gathered  in  that  part  of  the  country  to  prevent 
the  march,  and  the  rebels  were  still  in  great  awe  of  the  army. — If 
it  was  really  absolutely  necessary  to  go  to  Albany  at  all  (the  ad 
vantages  of  which  I  do  not  quite  comprehend).  It  would  have 
been  different,  if  the  great  English  army  had  been  in  possession 
of  a  part  of  the  Hudson  and  had  intended  to  conquer  it  altogether, 
then  an  advance  to  Albany  with  Gen.  Bourgoyne's  army  would 
have  been  of  use.  In  case  this  army  was  to  go  there  unconnected 
with  the  great  army,  it  was  more  apt  to  be  cut  off  from  provisions 
on  the  way  to  Albany  than  at  Saratoga.  Be  this  as  it  may,  for 
the  sake  of  carrying  out  the  plan,  it  would  have  been  very  advan 
tageous  for  Bourgoyne's  army,  if  Fort  George  could  have  been 
taken  directly  after  the  surrender  of  Ticonderoga.  A  great  supply 
of  provisions,  ammunition,  artillery  and  other  war  necessities, 
also  1 80  wagons  each  drawn  by  four  horses,  would  have  been 
the  booty  and  would  have  been  of  great  help  to  the  army,  while 
pushing  forward  to  the  Hudson.  However,  for  the  above  men 
tioned  reasons,  the  want  of  teams,  etc.,  or  perhaps  for  other  rea 
sons,  the  royal  army  contented  itself  during  that  time  in  pursuing 
the  fleeing  and  scattered  corps  of  Gen.  St.  Clair  across  South  Bay, 
which  had  no  more  to  lose,  and  which  could  fight  for  every  step 
in  the  woods.  We  paid  for  the  advantage  of  making  400  prison 
ers  with  great  losses,  especially  of  the  best  troops  of  the  army. 
The  garrison  of  the  enemy  at  Fort  George,  consisting  of  only  600 
men,  gained  by  this  delay  the  time  to  retreat  with  their  best  equip 
ments,  loaded  on  the  above  mentioned  wagons,  while  all  that 
could  not  be  taken  was  burned.  The  retreating  rebels  might  have 
been  attacked  and  their  retreat  cut  off  by  the  light  infantry  and 
the  Indians  from  Fort  Anne.  This,  however,  was  also  neglected. 
Of  course,  it  was  necessary  to  clear  South  Bay.  This  might  have 
been  accomplished  by  part  of  the  army  assisted  by  the  fleet. 

It  appears  to  me  as  if  Governor  Skene  had  much  to  do  with 
pushing  forward  over  South  Bay,  and  that  Gen.  Bourgoyne  paid 
too  much  attention  to  proposals  of  this  man,  not  considering  suffi 
ciently  his  position  and  interests.  Although  Governor  Skene  had 
been  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  English  army  and  was  now  to  be 


H4  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

governor  of  a  State  to  be  newly  founded  in  the  upper  part  of 
Lake  Champlain  and  was  consequently  well  informed  about  the 
country,  it  should  have  been  one  of  the  chief  rules  of  the  gen 
eral  to  be  suspicious  of  inhabitants  of  the  country,  even  if  their 
plans  seemed  ever  so  advantageous  for  the  army,  because  they 
will  never  forget  their  own  interests,  not  to  mention  putting  them 
entirely  aside.  This  was  the  case  with  Gov.  Skene,  who  had 
erected  on  the  South  Bay  the  manor  of  Skenesborough,  a  great 
work,  if  it  could  have  been  carried  out  according  to  his  plans. 
His  happiness  and  that  of  his  family  depended  on  it,  his  entire 
fortune  having  been  used  for  the  establishment.  It  was  without 
doubt,  a  tempting  prospect  for  him,  if  through  the  expedition  of 
Bourgoyne's  army  this  part  of  the  country  should  be  hurriedly 
cleared  of  the  rebels  before  they  had  time  to  demolish  his  houses, 
saw-  and  flour-mills,  also  his  iron  works.  Should  the  royal  army 
push  forward  from  here  towards  the  Hudson,  he  would  have  the 
advantage  of  the  open  spaces  used  for  their  camps.  Besides,  his 
desire  would  be  fulfilled  to  have  Wood  Creek  cleared  of 
trunks  and  logs,  so  it  could  be  used  for  boats,  while  on  the  side 
of  the  creek  a  road  would  be  made  to  the  forts  Anne  and  Edward 
without  any  expense  to  him.  These  were  sufficient  reasons  for 
one  who  for  years  had  been  more  business  man  than  soldier  and 
who  was  noted  for  always  looking  out  for  his  own  interests.  He 
deceived  the  general  with  the  greatest  assurance  through  his  ap 
parently  good  arguments,  especially  as  he  had  no  responsibility 
nor  had  he  to  fear  anything  personally  in  case  the  plan  should 
turn  out  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  army.  This  is  merly  a  sup 
position. 

It  seems  incomprehensible,  why  the  army  left  this  country 
afterwards  and  why  in  order  to  reach  the  main  road  for  Fort 
George  to  Albany,  roads  had  to  be  cut  with  greatest  difficulty 
through  the  thickest  woods  and  where  neither  baggage  nor  pro 
visions  could  be  taken.  It  would  have  been  far  easier  to  go  back 
across  Lake  George.  Perhaps  this  may  have  been  against  Gen. 
Bourgoyne's  military  ambition,  since  it  might  have  been  consid 
ered  a  retreat  by  the  inexperienced. 

Another  thing  that  makes  the  above  expressed  opinions  of 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  115 

Gov.  Skene  still  more  probable  is  the  unfortunate  ending  of  the 
affair  at  Bennington,  the  plan  for  which  is  said  to  have  been 
proposed  by  him.  His  intentions  were  most  likely  the  same  as 
above,  to  keep  his  property  free  from  the  incursions  of  the  enemy 
and  to  draw  part  of  the  army  to  this  part  of  the  country.  He  also 
accompanied  the  unfortunate  Lt.  Col.  Baum  to  Bennington,  and 
one  could  almost  say,  directed  the  expedition,  making,  however, 
the  bad  mistake  of  letting  all  the  people  who  came  to  him  pre 
tending  to  be  good  royalists,  go  without  discrimination,  supplying 
them  with  Gen.  Bourgoyne's  proclamation  with  the  expectation  of 
gaining  more  followers.  To  be  sure,  this  was  done  according  to 
the  order  of  the  general,  but  the  consequences  were  that  the 
enemy  received  daily,  I  might  say  hourly,  the  most  reliable  news 
about  the  intentions,  movements  and  exact  strength  of  Colonel 
Baum's  corps,  thus  enabling  the  rebels  to  lure  the  same  to  the 
trap  set.  Furthermore,  I  was  unable  to  find  out,  why  Gen.  Bour- 
goyne  kept  the  army  for  so  long  a  time  at  Still  water  instead  of  re 
treating  to  a  place  of  greater  safety. 

Having  received  reliable  news  of  St.  Leger's  corps  returning 
to  Canada,  we  could  no  longer  count  on  his  assistance.  It  had 
also  been  known  since  July  that  Gen.  Howe  with  the  great  army 
had  made  an  expedition  to  Philadelphia,  and  that  probably  neither 
assistance  nor  relief  could  be  expected  from  New  York  by  way 
of  the  Hudson.  Just  as  little  was  to  be  looked  for  from  Canada. 
The  army  of  the  enemy  increased  daily,  and  as  soon  as  harvest 
time  was  over,  a  greater  addition  could  be  expected.  Our  army, 
however,  decreased.  Also  the  supplies.  The  quartering  of  the 
troops  during  the  approaching  winter  had  also  to  be  considered. 
All  these  important  reasons  were  doubtless  known  to  the  general. 
Nevertheless,  orders  were  issued  to  ship  all  heavy  baggage  of  the 
regiments  from  Canada,  although  the  baggage  with  the  army  was 
already  hard  to  manage.  It  was  impossible  for  the  army  to  go 
forward,  and  it  appeared  to  me  as  if  the  general  was  not  inclined 
to  go  back  either.  Where  did  he  think  the  army  would  take  up 
winter  quarters?  To  build  huts  in  a  fortified  camp,  expecting 
unusual  help  from  Providence,  would  be  more  than  fanciful.  And 
if  a  retreat  was  planned,  it  was  necessary  to  hasten  it  more  than 


n6  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

that  at  Saratoga.  This  was  impossible,  however,  on  account  of 
the  amount  of  officers'  baggage  with  the  army,  which  the  owners 
did  not  care  to  give  up  to  the  enemy.  All  the  horses  were  used  to 
transport  this  baggage,  while  oxen  had  to  accomplish  the  trans 
portation  of  the  artillery.  Sufficient  food  for  the  horses  was  pro 
vided,  but  very  little  for  the  oxen.  As  they  were  unwilling  to 
leave  the  artillery,  which  was  perfectly  good,  behind,  only  very 
short  trips  could  be  made,  the  oxen  being  too  weak  from  want  of 
food.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  get  an  idea  of  the  excessive  amount 
of  baggage  carried  along  with  the  army.  An  army  which  is  of 
any  use  in  these  parts,  must  be  almost  without  baggage,  and  with 
no  more  tents  than  can  be  taken  by  boats. 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  express  my  opinion  about  the  gen 
eral  plan  of  operation  for  the  army,  because  I  have  no  knowledge 
of  the  instructions  of  the  English  parliament,  and  cannot  judge 
to  what  extent  Gen.  Howe  as  well  as  Gen.  Bourgoyne  complied. 
If  a  common  plan  of  operation  for  both  armies  had  been  decided 
upon,  how  does  the  exepedition  of  Gen.  Howe's  army  to  Phila 
delphia  fit  in? — It  seems  to  me  impossible  that  an  army  could 
hold  out  in  Albany  as  far  as  provisions  are  concerned,  without 
being  in  possession  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  having  com 
plete  control  of  the  navigation  on  the  Hudson.  It  is  not  only  very 
difficult  to  ship  the  supplies  from  Canada,  but  they  might  be  cut 
off  any  day.  How  could  it  be  possible  for  the  small  army  of  Gen. 
Bourgoyne  to  cover  and  protect  the  shipments  at  so  great  a  distance 
against  the  assaults  of  the  rebels,  who  could  easily  attack  them 
and  make  a  safe  retreat  through  the  woods.  I  believe  that  the 
English  have  counted  too  much  on  the  probability  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  New  York  would  de 
clare  themselves  for  the  king,  submit  to  his  sovereignity  and 
even  take  part  against  the  other  rebellious  colonists.  This  idea 
has  been  very  cunningly  presented  to  the  English  government  by 
the  Congress,  and  some  people  were  persuaded  and  picked  out  for 
the  purpose  of  convincing  the  English  generals  and  ministry  of 
this  possibility. 

If  it  was  really  necessary  to  besiege  Albany,  why  this  hesita 
tion  at  Fort  Edward  instead  of  advancing  as  quickly  as  at  first? 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  117 

The  chances  were  that  the  army  would  have  succeeded,  as  the 
rebels  had,  at  that  time,  not  yet  received  reinforcements  through 
the  troops  sent  by  Washington's  army,  and  the  militia  had  not 
been  called  to  arms.  Would  the  result  have  been  less  unfor 
tunate,  however?  If  the  final  object  of  the  Bourgoyne  army  had 
been  to  separate  the  rebels  in  order  to  facilitate  the  operations  of 
the  great  army,  the  outcome  of  the  king's  cause  would  probably 
have  been  more  fortunate,  the  Canadian  army  could  have  settled 
down  at  Fort  Ticonderoga,  keeping  possession  of  Lake  George  and 
South  Bay,  and  Forts  Anne  and  Edward  used  as  advance  posts. 
The  fixed  post  at  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence  served 
as  safe  places  for  arms,  while  the  supplies  could  easily  be  fur 
nished  from  Canada  without  fear  of  having  them  cut  off.  With 
our  army  in  this  position,  the  rebels  had  to  fear  everything.  In 
vasions  could  be  made  in  the  surrounding  countries,  especially 
during  harvest  time,  or  other  inconvenient  times.  This  would 
have  forced  the  enemy  to  keep  a  strong  corps  for  observation. 
Although  the  shipping  of  provisions  by  way  of  the  Hudson  was 
easy,  to  keep  up  this  corps  would  have  prevented  the  rebels  from 
tilling  their  fields  and  harvesting,  thus  causing  a  famine.  In  my 
opinion,  this  would  have  been  the  only  means  for  England  to  have 
conquered  the  colonies.  They  could  only  be  overcome  by  tiring 
them  out  through  a  long  continued  war,  surrounded  by  men-of- 
war  and  armies,  had  it  been  possible  to  do  so  completely,  the 
attacking  armies  being  more  defensive  than  offensive.  Dissatis 
faction,  lack  of  necessary  provisions,  etc.,  would  probably  have 
caused  them  to  disagree  among  themselves. 

Because  it  was  more  advantageous  to  him,  Gen.  Bourgoyne 
is  said  to  have  paid  the  spies  with  paper,  instead  of  gold  money. 
For  his  justification  I  must  say  that  the  spies  could  make  use  of 
paper  money  only,  as  anybody  who  paid  in  hard  cash  in  the 
colonies,  was  suspected  of  siding  with  the  king.  However,  it  is 
a  fact  that  Congress  as  well  as  the  rebel  generals  picked  out  and 
sent  to  Gen.  Bourgoyne  with  great  cunning  the  people  who  were 
to  serve  him  as  spies.  A  fact  which  was  discovered  afterwards. 
Of  course,  it  was  more  harmful  than  useful  to  employ  them. 
Even  at  the  present  writing,  I  know  there  are  plenty  of  them 


1 1 8  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

among  us  who  wear  the  king's  coat,  receive  pay  and  are 
provided  for.  The  leader  of  an  army  in  a  war  between  two 
monarchies  need  not  fear  the  occurrence  of  such  things  and  is 
able  to  prevent  it,  while  in  a  civil  war  this  is  impossible.  The  gen 
eral  who  has  to  deal  with  such  and  similar  matters  ought  to  be 
judged  more  leniently. 

Dixi  et  scripsi. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  119 

VOLUME  II. 

FOURTH  CONTINUATION  OF  THE  JOURNAL  FROM  AUGUST  7TH 

TO  3  IST,  1777. 

AUGUST  7TH. — It  is  extremely  hot  in  these  countries  during 
the  day.  At  night  and  towards  morning,  however,  there  is  such 
a  mist,  and  so  much  dew  is  falling,  that  even  in  the  tents,  the 
covers  get  damp  through  and  through.  Almost  every  day  there 
is  a  thunderstorm,  which  lasts  only  a  short  time. 

AUGUST  STH. — All  German  regiments  sent  detachments  by 
way  of  Fort  George  to  Carillon,  to  fetch  the  bateaux,  left  there 
with  the  baggage,  to  Fort  George. 

AUGUST  9TH. — Early  in  the  morning,  Brigadier-General 
Frazer  started  with  his  corps  and  some  Indians  for  Fort  Miller. 
At  the  same  time  the  regiment  of  dragoons,  with  a  large  de 
tachment  of  Indians,  Canadians  and  men  from  the  provinces 
followed  General  Frazer's  corps  on  both  sides  to  push  on  further 
into  the  country.  They  intended  to  get  horses,  cattle  and  pro 
visions  for  the  army.  Governor  Skenes  accompanied  them.  He 
has  to  regulate  the  above-mentioned  matters  for  the  benefit  of  the 
inhabitants. 

AUGUST  IOTH. — In  the  morning,  Brigadier  Powell  marched 
with  the  53rd  regiment  over  Fort  George  to  Carillon  to  relieve 
Brigadier  Hamilton  and  the  62nd  regiment.  Captain  Boucher- 
ville  marched  with  his  company  to  Fort  George,  while  Captain 
Monin,  who  had  been  stationed  there,  had  to  go  with  his  com 
pany  to  the  advance  corps  of  the  army. 

AUGUST  IITH. — Musketeer  Fasselabend  of  Captain  v. 
Pollniz'  company  was  shot  before  the  regiment  v.  Riedesel.  He 
had  deserted  and  enlisted  with  the  artillery  of  the  enemy  and 
was  caught  again  on  a  ship  near  Skenesborough.  All  the  pickets 
of  the  whole  army  had  to  be  present,  forming  a  circle  around 
the  delinquet  that  it  might  be  an  example. 

General  Bourgoyne  tried  everything  to  prevent  desertion. 
Not  only  had  he  given  orders  to  the  Indians  to  shoot  all  deserters 
whom  they  met,  but  he  had  also  given  them  permission  to  take 
their  scalps. 


I2O  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

AUGUST  I2TH. — The  vanguard  of  Brigadier  Frazier's  corps 
had  pushed  on  to  Saratoga.  The  dragoons,  with  two  cannon  and 
a  detachment  of  Indians  and  men  from  the  provinces  stand 
seven  English  miles  above  Fort  Miller,  vis-a-vis,  the  residence 
of  General  Schuylers.  General  Arnold  is  said  to  be  at  Still- 
water  with  his  corps. 

AUGUST  I3TH. — At  daybreak  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann 
departed  with  his  two  batallions  to  Fort  Miller.  The  corps  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum  was  reinforced  by  a  detachment  of 
60  men  infantry,  because  a  corps  of  approximately  1400  rebels 
tried  to  hinder  him  in  his  excursions.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum 
is  said  to  have  gone  to  Bennington. 

The  army  received  orders  to  march  the  following  day  and 
to  take  provisions  along  to  last  till  the  i6th.  The  regiments  at 
Fort  Edward  were  furnished  with  two  batteaux  per  regiment 
for  shipping  their  equipments  and  baggage  down  the  Hudson 
river. 

AUGUST  I4TH. — The  army  started  at  6  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  marching  towards  the  right. 

The  regiment  v.  Rhetz  again  occupied  a  camp  near  Fort  Ed 
ward,  and  two  companies  of  the  Hesse-Hanau  regiment  took 
possession  of  the  camp  near  Jones'  House,  where  the  regiment 
v.  Rhetz  used  to  be.  The  army  made  seven  English  miles  today 
on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  Hudson,  always  keeping  close  to 
the  river.  The  roads  were  fairly  good  and  not  at  all  hilly.  All 
homesteads  were  deserted;  corn  and  grass  in  the  fields  and 
pastures  were  dried  up.  We  passed  through  Schuyler's  Island, 
where  we  could  still  see  the  foundations  of  the  bridge  connect 
ing  the  same  with  the  mainland. 

We  encamped  near  Fort  Miller,  or  rather  to  the  left  near 
Duars  House,  where  General  Bourgoyne  established  headquarters, 
This  house  is  built  in  very  good  taste,  has  two  stories  and  the 
roof  is  in  Italian  style.  On  each  side  of  the  house  is  a  small 
building  serving  as  kitchen  and  storehouse.  Both  of  these  are 
connected  with  the  house  by  a  covered  passage.  The  doors 
and  windows  were  badly  damaged,  and  all  furniture  was  taken 
away.  The  owner  of  the  house  is  a  member  of  Congress  and 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  121 

occupies  the  position  of  commissioner  in  the  army.  Fort  Miller 
is  on  that  side  of  the  river.  It  never  consisted  of  anything  else 
but  a  poorly  built  loghouse  and  a  penthouse  surrounded  by 
palisades.  If  ever  any  detachments  of  Fort  Edward  or  Fort 
George  stayed  at  Fort  Miller,  it  must  have  been  only  for  a  short 
time  or  for  the  purpose  of  storing  provisions  intended  for  these 
forts  to  keep  them  safe  from  the  Indians.  However,  all  the 
above  mentioned  forts  not  having  been  occupied  for  a  long  time, 
this  place  has  been  deserted  and  few  traces  can  be  found  of  for 
mer  fortifications. 

The  corps  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann  has  gone  five 
English  miles  to  Saratoga.  It  has  instructions  to  build  a  sus 
pension  bridge  there  across  the  Hudson,  so  the  army  can  cross 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.  The  enemy  facing  the  corps 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum,  had  drawn  back.  We  received  news 
from  this  corps  that  they  had  gotten  hold  of  some  cattle  and  70 
head  of  horses,  also  of  90  tons  of  flour  and  about  1000  "minots" 
of  corn  which  the  enemy  had  left  in  different  houses. 

The  heat  during  this  day  was  so  stifling  that  many  of  the 
men  were  in  danger  of  suffocating  on  the  march.  All  regiments 
had  to  leave  behind  a  number  of  exhausted  men,  who  did  not 
arrive  in  camp  until  evening.  The  army  received  orders  to  be 
prepared  to  start  at  a  moment's  notice. 

AUGUST  I5TH. — A  report  arrived  during  the  night  from 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum  that  the  enemy  was  assembling  in  these 
parts  and  that  an  attack  was  to  be  expected.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Breymann  was  therefore  ordered  to  start  this  morning  with  the 
grenadiers  and  chasseurs  and  two  six-pound  English  cannon  in 
charge  of  Lieutenant  Spangenberg,  of  the  Hesse-Hanau  artillery, 
to  reinforce  the  corps  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum,  which  was  as 
far  as  24  English  miles  away  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brey 
mann.  According  to  these  instructions,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brey 
mann  really  started  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  leaving  baggage 
and  tents  behind. 

The  army  corps  employed  its  time  on  this  day  with  building 
a  bridge  across  the  Hudson  and  transferring  boats  across  the 
rapids. 


122  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

AUGUST  i6xH. — The  bridge  was  completed  and  Brigadier 
Frazer  took  his  stand  on  the  other  side  of  the  Hudson  at  Sara 
toga.  The  magazine  at  Skenesborough  had  been  transferred  to 
Fort  Edward,  and  Major  Irwin  with  his  men,  who  had  been 
stationed  there,  again  joined  the  army. 

In  the  evening  at  9  o'clock,  orders  were  received  to  break 
camp  at  6  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  to  pitch  the  tents  at 
Saratoga. 

AUGUST  I/TH. — The  army  was  ready  for  departure  when 
sad  news,  caused  by  the  shifting  fortune  of  war,  arrived.  The 
news  was  that  on  the  preceding  day  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum 
had  been  attacked  on  all  sides  near  St.  Cuicksmills  (Sancoik's 
Mills?)  before  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann  had  been  able  to 
reach  him.  After  all  the  ammunition  of  the  artillery,  as  well 
as  of  the  rifles  had  been  exhausted  in  a  violent  defense,  he  was 
forced  to  surrender  unconditionally  with  what  remained  of  his 
corps.  Governor  Skenes  had  already  reported  this  unfortunate 
affair  during  the  night,  and  Monsieur  de  la  Nadiere,  who  had 
been  present  at  the  event  and  had  been  able  to  escape,  confirmed 
these  statements  the  next  morning.  The  latter  added  that  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Baum  had  entrenched  himself,  as  well  as  the  cir 
cumstances  permitted,  on  a  hill,  with  his  regiment  of  dragoons 
and  some  regular  infantry.  He  had  learned  of  the  approach  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann  and  was  resolved  to  defend  him 
self  to  the  utmost  until  the  arrival  of  Breymann's  corps,  at  the 
same  time  keeping  all  the  provisions  captured,  to  obtain  which 
had  been  the  purpose  of  his  mission.  The  hostile  army,  con 
sisting  of  a  great  number  of  regulars  from  Stillwater,  and  militia 
summoned  from  the  provinces  within  24  miles,  amounted  to  at 
least  4000  men.  Their  attack  on  Baum's  corps  had  been  so 
desperate  and  violent  that  they  did  not  even  hesitate  to  rush 
within  eight  paces  of  the  cannon,  loaded  with  grape-shot. 

After  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum's  corps  had  lost  almost  all 
light  troops  and  the  ammunition  began  to  fail,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Baum  decided  to  cut  his  way  through  with  the  rest  of  his  dra 
goons.  At  this  attempt,  however,  he  had  to  surrender  to  the 
enemy.  It  must  be  added  that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum  was 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  123 

shot  in  the  abdomen;  Lieutenant  Bock,  from  the  Hessian  artil 
lery,  was  also  wounded,  and  the  English  engineer,  Lieutenant 
Dumford,  was  killed. 

We  could  learn  nothing  about  the  fate  of  the  other  officers 
of  the  corps;  but  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  they  were 
either  wounded  or  killed.  As  missing  may  be  reported :  Major 
v.  Meibom,  Captains  Fricke,  v.  Schlagenteufel,  Jr.,  and  Reinking; 
Lieutenants  Breva,  v.  Bothmer  and  v.  Reckroth;  also  Cornets 
Graef,  Stuzzer  and  Schonewald,  the  clergyman,  auditor  and 
surgeon,  and  Captain  Dommes  and  Cornet  Specht,  from  the  bat 
talion  v.  Berner;  Lieutenant  Burghoff,  from  the  grenadiers,  and 
Cornet  Andree  from  the  regiment  v.  Riedesel,  also  Captain 
O'Conell. 

The  messenger  of  this  sad  news  informed  us  likewise  that 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann  was  also  attacked  on  the  same 
day  not  far  from  Baum's  corps,  but  that  nothing  was  as  yet  known 
of  the  result,  except  that  this  corps  had  to  retreat  on  account  of 
lack  of  ammunition. 

This  news  changed  our  marching  plans  altogether.  The 
army  did  start  at  6  o'clock,  but  left  the  bridge  across  the  Hudson 
at  their  right  and  pushed  towards  Bennington  to  support  the 
corps  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann,  in  case  of  further  at 
tacks  from  the  enemy.  However,  certain  news  was  received  that 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann,  with  his  two  battalions  was  safe 
and  only  a  few  English  miles  away.  Therefore,  the  main  body 
of  the  army  stopped  near  the  river  Battenkill,  and  General  Bour- 
goyne  took  only  the  47th  English  regiment  with  him  to  meet 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum. 

Towards  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  corps  of  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  Breymann  arrived,  much  worn  out  and  weakened. 
They  told  us  the  following  exact  circumstances : 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann  arrived  yesterday  afternoon 
at  4  o'clock  at  the  place  where  Lieutenant-Colonel  Baum  had  met 
with  such  misfortune.  He  was  informed  that  this  corps  had 
been  completely  defeated.  However,  he  clung  to  the  hope  that 
it  might  at  least  be  possible  to  release  the  prisoners  and  violently 
attacked  the  enemy  with  his  two  battalions  at  once.  He  sue- 


124  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

ceeded  in  driving  the  enemy  from  three  different  points  persuing 
them  for  about  an  hour,  when  his  ammunition  began  to  give 
out.  The  enemy  noted  this,  and  turned  around  to  attack  again 
his  already  weakened  and  decreased  corps,  forcing  him  to  seek 
a  retreat. 

The  rebels,  who  probably  had  paid  dearly  for  the  advantages 
of  the  day,  did  not  dare  to  pursue  the  retreating  corps  longer  than 
a  quarter  of  an  hour.  They  remainined  in  their  position  and  left 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann  to  retreat  quietly,  which  retreat 
was  still  more  protected  by  the  approach  of  night. 

As  this  affair  had  also  taken  place  in  the  woods  and  among 
the  bushes,  it  had  been  impossible  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  all  miss 
ing.  Captain  v.  Schick  was  killed,  and  Lieutenant  Miihlenfeld, 
from  the  battalion  v.  Berner,  who  was  left  on  the  spot,  mortally 
wounded,  has  to  be  counted  among  the  dead.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Breymann  was  wounded  on  the  leg,  while  Captain  v.  Baertling, 
Lieutenants  Meyer  and  Gebhard,  who  was  wounded,  and  Lieu 
tenant  d'Anniers,  Jr.,  are  missing.  Major  v.  Berner  received  a 
bullet  in  his  right  arm  and  another  one  in  the  chest.  Capt.  v. 
Geysau  was  shot  through  the  flesh  of  the  upper  leg,  and  Captain 
v.  Pleissenberg  received  a  bullet  in  the  abdomen.  Lieutenant 
Hannemann,  of  the  Yaeger,  was  shot  through  the  neck  under 
the  chin.  Lieutenant  Spangenberg  of  the  Hanau  artillery,  who 
had  to  give  up  his  two  cannon,  was  wounded  badly  through  the 
shoulder.  Cornet  Hagemann  is  missing. 

The  hostile  corps  is  under  the  command  of  a  general  by  the 
name  of  Starke.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breymann's  corps  took  up 
its  quarters  in  the  old  camp,  and  the  army  went  back  to  camp  at 
Duars  House  to  remain  there  for  several  days  until  enough  pro 
visions  from  the  storehouses  can  be  supplied  to  enable  them  to 
undertake  further  expeditions.  Besides,  the  bridge  across  the 
Hudson  was  broken  and  had  to  be  repaired. 

The  corps  of  Brigadier  Frazer  changed  its  camp  also,  and 
took  up  a  position  above  the  corps  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brey 
mann,  near  Battenkill,  in  the  same  part  of  the  country  where 
the  army  had  been  in  bivouac  for  several  hours  during  the  day. 

In  the  evening  many  of  the  Indians,  Canadians  and  men  from 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  125 

the  provinces,  who  had  been  with  the  corps,  came  back,  also  Major 
Campbell  and  Captain  Charret,  who  made  their  retreat  through 
the  thickest  woods  and  wilderness.  These  men  told  us,  how  the 
rage  of  the  rebels,  who  had  been  partly  drunk,  had  turned  upon 
the  men  from  the  provinces.  All  of  them  who  were  caught 
were  treated  with  the  utmost  cruelty.  By  and  by,  in  the  evening 
and  through  the  night,  more  men  arrived  who  had  been  either 
wounded  or  completely  worn  out. 

AUGUST  i8iH. — The  enemy  had  only  received  reinforce 
ments  from  Stillwater,  but  had  summoned  a  great  number  of 
men  from  the  provinces,  and  it  could  be  expected  that  the  rebels, 
encouraged  by  the  affair  of  the  i6th,  might  attempt  an  attack  this 
side  of  the  Hudson  on  our  headquarters,  storehouses  and  maga 
zines  at  St.  George.  Therefore,  Major-General  v.  Riedesel,  with 
the  47th  regiment  broke  up  camp  and  marched,  after  being  joined 
by  the  regiment  v.  Rhetz,  which  had  been  at  Fort  Edward,  to 
Jones  House,  where  the  entire  regiment  Hesse-Hanau  also  joined 
them.  Several  roads  coming  from  the  populated  districts  unite 
with  the  main  road  to  St.  George  and  Fort  Edward  at  this  point, 
so  that  it  proved  to  be  an  excellent  position  for  covering  these 
two  places.  General  v.  Riedesel  expected  besides  two  1 2-pound, 
and  six  6-pound  cannon  to  make  this  post  still  stronger.  The 
62nd  English  regiment,  which  had  been  relieved  at  Carillon,  was 
to  encamp  near  Fort  Edward.  Today  100  men  from  Albany  ar 
rived  to  offer  their  services  to  the  army.  They  had  already 
had  several  slight  skirmishes  with  the  rebels  on  their  way.  Some 
more  men  from  the  Breymann  corps  returned,  who  had  been 
wounded  or  lost  in  the  woods.  These  told  that  they  had  been 
half  an  hour's  distance  from  the  place  of  battle  without  seeing  a 
sign  of  the  enemy.  They  had  even  buried  Captain  v.  Schick. 
They  raised  our  hopes  to  see  Lieutenant  d'Anniers,  Jr.,  and  Lieu 
tenant  Gebhard  who  had  been  wounded,  return;  possible  some 
more  of  our  men,  who  had  been  very  much  fatigued.  Captain 
Fraser  and  Makay  also  came  back,  bringing  with  them  some  In 
dians  and  Canadians. 

A  hospital  was  erected  for  the  wounded,  where  they  were 
well  cared  for.    In  the  evening  General  Bourgoyne  was  informed 


126  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

through  a  reliable  source,  that  the  enemy  had  commenced  to 
fortify  himself  on  the  spot  where  the  skirmish  with  Col.  Brey- 
mann  had  taken  place,  probably  anticipating  an  attack  from  our 
army. 

AUGUST  I9TH. — Some  more  men  of  Col.  Breymann's  corps 
arrived.  They  were,  however,  unable  to  give  us  any  information 
in  regard  to  the  regiment  of  dragoons,  or  of  the  fate  of  the 
above  mentioned  officers.  One  hundred  and  one  men  of  the 
chasseur  battalion  were  still  missing  in  the  afternoon,  not  in 
cluding  28  wounded  ones  in  the  hospital  and  camp.  This  bat- 
tallion  had  started  out  on  the  I2th  of  August  with  317  men. 
From  the  battalion  of  grenadiers,  97  enlisted  men  were  missing. 
The  regiment  of  dragoons  consists  now  of  three  officers,  three 
non-commissioned  officers,  two  drummers,  seventy-three  privates 
and  nine  wagoners.  These  figures  include  those  need  to  protect 
the  camp,  the  sick,  the  ones  who  had  to  stay  with  the  baggage  and 
in  Canada,  and  the  recruits.  The  officers  are,  Captain  v.  Schlag- 
enteufel,  Sr.,  who  is  ill,  Lieutenant  Borneman,  who  has  charge 
of  the  camp,  and  Lieutenant  v.  Sommerlatte,  who  has  been  sent 
to  Canada  for  the  baggage.  A  part  of  the  Indians  from  Eraser's 
corps  had  a  meeting  today,  and  some  of  them  requested  the  cam 
paign  to  be  ended  that  they  might  go  home.  They  did  not  re 
ceive  much  inducement  to  stay,  and  on  the  2Oth  of  August,  200  In 
dians  departed  for  Fort  George  to  return  to  their  native  woods. 

AUGUST  2OTH. — Reliable  news  was  received  that  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  St.  Leger  was  really  in  possession  of  Fort  Stanwix.  We 
were  also  informed  by  Howe's  army,  that  several  ships  with 
troops  were  coming  up  the  Hudson  and  had  already  advanced 
close  to  Albany. 

This  news  was  still  more  confirmed  by  the  retreat  of  the 
rebels  from  Stillwater  to  Albany,  for  which  there  could  be  no 
other  reason  than  the  fear  of  becoming  surrounded  on  three 
sides,  which  would,  without  doubt,  make  a  retreat  impossible. 

AUGUST  2 1  ST. — More  and  more  fugitives  from  Albany  ar 
rived,  fearing  the  cruelties  of  the  rebels.  They  and  their  cattle 
occupied  the  houses  and  sheds  on  the  other  side  of  the  Hudson. 
Sometimes  ten  or  more  families  were  found  dwelling  together. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  127 

They  assured  us  that  the  country  people,  the  greater  part  of 
whom  were  German  descent,  could  only  have  been  prevented  from 
taking  sides  with  the  crown  of  England  by  main  force  of  the 
rebels  or  their  superiors.  We  might  therefore  expect  not  only 
all  possible  assistance  around  Albany,  but  also  to  see  fugitives  and 
people  taken  along  by  the  rebels  by  main  force,  leave  the  enemy 
to  go  back  to  their  homes.  The  number  of  people  arriving  at 
headquarters,  about  30  to  60  a  day,  confirmed  this  opinion,  es 
pecially  as  many  of  them  were  willing  to  take  up  arms  for  the 
benefit  of  the  cause.  We  even  hoped  to  have  a  whole  regiment 
of  them  under  the  command  of  a  man  named  Peterson  join  our 
army. 

AUGUST  22  ND. — Colonel  Skenes  received  news  today, 
through  some  men  from  the  provinces  that  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Baum  was  not  wounded,  but  had  been  made  prisoner.  Yesterday 
and  today,  it  was  so  hot  during  the  day  as  well  as  in  the  night, 
that  even  several  English  officers,  who  had  been  in  East  India, 
assured  us  that  they  had  not  felt  the  heat  as  much  in  Madras  as 
here. 

The  transfer  of  our  boats  around  the  rapids  and  of  our  pro 
visions  overland  progressed  successfully  and  we  hope  soon  to 
have  completed  the  shipment  of  all  our  baggage  from  St.  George ; 
also  to  be  able  to  desist  voluntarily  from  receiving  provisions 
from  Canada. 

AUGUST  23RD. — Almost  all  Indians  left  this  day  for  Canada, 
so  that  Brigadier  Fraser  has  now  hardly  more  than  fifty  with  him. 
His  corps  of  white  men  has  increased,  and  increases  daily.  We 
have  hopes  of  soon  forming  an  entire  regiment  of  men  from 
the  provinces. 

The  position  of  the  army  and  of  the  detachments  did  not 
change  at  all  during  these  days. 

AUGUST  24TH. — Our  train  of  artillery  with  ammunition 
arrived  at  this  camp,  also  a  shipment  of  horses  from  Canada 
for  drawing  it. 

The  news  of  a  fleet  with  Howe's  army  coming  up  the  Hud 
son  and  being  close  to  Albany  was  confirmed  by  people  from 
the  provinces.  We  were  also  informed  that  this  army  had 


128  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

taken  possession  of  some  posts  and  that  Count  Cornwallis  had 
made  such  progress  in  his  march,  that  we  could  hope  to  be  joined 
by  him  soon. 

AUGUST  26TH. — The  remainder  of  the  dragoons  received 
horses  for  20  men  today. 

AUGUST  27TH. — Today  the  musketeer  Hundertmark,  a  Ger 
man,  who  had  deserted  while  on  picket,  was  executed  before  the 
9th  English  regiment. 

Nothing  happened  from  the  28th  to  the  3ist  of  August. 

EXTRACT   FROM   THE  JOURNAL,    DESCRIBING  THE   MARCH    OF 
BOURGOYNE'S  ARMY  FROM  BOSTON  TO  VIRGINIA,  1778. 

As  the  Congress  of  America  had  declared  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  fulfill  the  convention  of  Saratoga  until  confirmed  by 
the  King,  General  Clinton,  who  had  been  authorized  to  ratify 
the  treaty,  informed  Congress  of  this  fact  and  requested  that 
permission  be  granted  for  the  departure  of  the  troops.  Congress, 
however,  refused  to  accept  his  authority.  As  it  was  evident 
that  Congress  was  unwilling  to  make  good  the  convention,  hold 
ing  the  troops  like  prisoners  of  war,  General  Clinton  declared 
that  he  would  neither  furnish  provisions  nor  money  for  the 
keeping  of  them.  Congress  replied  that  it  had  to  submit  to  this, 
but  the  State  of  Virginia  was  the  only  one  which  could  supply 
the  army  with  flour  and  that  it  was  to  be  hoped  that  free  ex 
portation  of  flour  from  Virginia  to  Boston  would  be  granted. 
They  would  appoint  commissioners  to  see  that  only  such  an 
amount  of  flour  would  be  exported  as  was  actually  needed  for 
the  British  army.  If  this  condition  could  not  be  agreed  upon 
the  army  would  be  obliged  to  march  to  Virginia,  no  other  prov 
ince  being  able  to  furnish  the  flour.  General  Clinton  refused 
the  free  passage  of  flour  from  Virginia,  and  the  army  received 
marching  orders  for  Virginia  on  October  28th. 

Although  we  had  wished  for  a  change  from  the  miserable 
barracks,  we  were  frightened  at  the  prospect,  as  we  could  fore 
see  the  difficulties  and  the  consequence  of  the  same  on  our  men. 
Besides,  our  pockets  were  not  filled  to  such  an  extent  that  we 
could  wish  for  such  a  long  trip.  However,  in  order  not  to  dis- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  129 

courage  the  men,  the  officers  had  to  hide  their  feelings  and  pre 
tend  to  be  well  pleased  with  the  change. 

According  to  instructions  received,  the  English  corps,  as 
well  as  the  German  had  to  march  in  three  divisions,  the  first 
to  start  from  Routland,  where  they  had  been  quartered,  the 
next  one  to  follow  in  time  to  take  up  the  quarters  just  left  by  the 
first,  and  the  third  doing  likewise.  The  first  German  division 
was  formed  of  what  was  left  of  the  regiment  of  dragoons  and 
the  grenadier  battalion  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  v. 
Menger.  The  2nd,  under  Brigadier-General  Specht  included 
the  regiments  v.  Riedesel  and  Specht.  The  3rd,  under  Brigadier- 
General  v.  Gall,  was  made  up  of  v.  Baerner's  battalion  of  light 
infantry,  the  regiment  Hesse-Hanau  and  the  company  of  Hanau 
artillery.  An  English  speaking  officer  was  appointed  to  act  as 
commissary  for  each  division.  His  duties  were  to  find  quarters 
for  the  soldiers  and  to  get  wagons  and  provisions  for  the  divi 
sion.  The  provisions  were  afterwards  turned  over  to  the  quar 
termasters  of  the  regiments  for  distribution.  These  commis 
saries  received  55.  extra  each  day  for  their  services. 

Gen.  v.  Riedesel  appointed  me  commissary  of  the  2nd 
division.  This  position  released  me  from  many  hardships  and 
unpleasantries  of  the  march.  I  was  to  ride  ahead  of  the  troops, 
finding  quarters  for  them.  I  was  also  able  to  choose  my  own 
quarters,  so  that  I  could  be  by  myself,  a  convenience  much 
to  be  appreciated.  The  advantage  of  having  53.  extra  did  not 
amount  to  much,  as  my  expenses  were  much  higher;  I  was 
obliged  to  keep  a  servant  to  care  for  my  horse  and  to  do  other 
things  for  me. 

As  we  had  not  received  any  money  from  General  Clinton 
for  four  months,  and  the  money  chests  of  the  regiments  were 
empty,  General  v.  Riedesel  was  obliged  to  negotiate  paper  money 
for  gold  in  a  certain  proposition  to  be  able  to  pay  the  troops  dur 
ing  the  march.  We  suffered  quite  a  loss  by  these  manipulations, 
as  gold  was  higher  in  value  than  this  paper  money.  These  ne 
gotiations  also  compelled  General  v.  Riedesel  to  stay  behind  in 
order  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  money  which  was  needed  to 
redeem  the  paper  notes,  after  which  he  followed  his  corps. 


13°  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

After  having  lived  exactly  one  year,  from  November,  '76 
to  November  '77,  in  the  miserable  barracks  of  Boston,  and  after 
repairing  them  and  getting  them  in  shape  for  winter,  the  first 
division  broke  up  on  November  9th,  and  the  British  troops,  who 
had  been  Routland,  60  miles  from  Boston,  started  on  that 
day. 

NOVEMBER  IOTH,  15  MILES. 

The  2nd  division  left  Winterhill  at  9  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  escorted  by  one  captain,  three  officers  and  100 
men  of  militia  from  New  York.  The  wagons  granted  for 
the  transportation  of  the  baggage  failed  to  appear,  and  the 
quartermaster  of  the  militia,  who  was  to  assist  me,  forced 
the  drivers  of  wagons  passing  on  the  road,  to  load  up  our 
baggage.  All  this  took  so  much  time  that  the  baggage  did 
not  get  started  from  Cambridge  until  5  o'clock.  I  was  hardly 
able  to  reach  the  division  again  before  it  arrived  at  its  quar 
ters  in  the  evening.  The  troops  marched  through  the  towns 
of  Cambridge,  Watertown,  Waltham,  Weston  to  Sudberg,  a 
village  or  township,  the  inhabitants  of  which  had  been  per 
suaded  to  take  in  the  troops,  placing  the  men  in  the  barns,  while 
the  officers  received  quarter  in  the  houses.  The  officers  did  not 
even  get  a  bed  free,  but  had  to  pay  for  everything  and  as 
much  as  the  host  was  inclined  to  ask.  The  villages  or  town 
ships  in  New  England  are  often  4  to  5  miles  long.  The  houses 
on  the  road  are  placed  at  such  a  distance  that  all  the  ground 
belonging  to  one  estate,  surround  the  house.  The  houses  are 
mostly  well  and  regularly  built,  however,  they  are  made  of 
wood.  Although  there  is  hardly  a  country  anywhere  rockier 
than  Massachusetts,  very  few  stone  houses  are  found.  It  seems 
to  be  easier,  especially  with  such  an  abundance  of  wood,  to 
build  houses  of  wood.  The  rooms  are  big  and  well  furnished. 

In  comparison  with  the  weather  at  home,  we  began  our 
march  with  rather  good  weather,  almost  too  warm,  as  winter 
does  not  commence  as  early  as  in  Germany.  However,  we  had 
had  a  good  deal  of  rain. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  131 

NOVEMBER  IITH,  n  MILES. 

The  division  marched  as  far  as  Marborough,  a  town 
ship  similar  to  Sudberg.  Although  our  escorts  had  treated 
us  rather  well  and  had  allowed  our  men  to  walk  as  they 
pleased  during  the  march,  we  had  to  submit  to  being  marched 
through  all  the  places  with  fifes  and  drums.  They  lost  no 
opportunity  to  show  us  that  we  were  miserable  prisoners,  sub 
ject  to  the  authority  of  adventurous  peasants,  who  were  set 
to  watch  us. 

NOVEMBER  I2TH,  10  MILES. 

We  marched  to  Shrewsbury  arriving  there  at  noon.  The 
captain  of  militia,  who  had  his  quarters  always  in  the  same 
house  with  me,  and  I  were  invited  to  a  wedding  in  our  house. 
After  the  ceremony,  the  bride  and  groom  remained  standing 
in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Every  man,  except  the  very  old 
one,  went  up  to  the  bride,  kissing  her  and  wishing  her  good  luck. 
Then  they  shook  hands  with  the  groom.  Then  the  women 
came  to  kiss  the  groom.  Afterwards  they  sat  down  to  eat  and 
drink.  This  was  followed  by  dancing. 

NOVEMBER  13x11,  7  MILES. 

As  far  as  Worcester,  a  pretty  little  town  with  about  150 
well  built  houses.  On  our  march  from  Saratoga  to  Boston, 
we  had  met  with  a  bad  reception  in  this  place  and  had  been  re 
fused  quarters.  We  did  not  fare  any  better  this  time  and  the 
militia  had  to  compel  the  inhabitants  to  take  us  in.  A  part  of 
our  wagons  had  to  be  given  up;  nobody  was  willing  to  furnish 
others.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  force  all  the  wagons  in 
the  streets  to  unload  their  own  baggage  and  load  up  ours.  For 
every  wagon  in  this  province,  93.  per  day  were  paid,  not  count 
ing  provisions  for  men  and  horses. 

(November  I4th,  14  miles.) 

NOVEMBER  15x11,  10  MILES. 

We  marched  to  Brookfield  during  continuous  rainstorms 
and  on  muddy  roads.  We  were  received  particularly  well  in 


132  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

this  small  town.  My  business  and  the  welfare  of  the  division 
required  that  I  take  up  quarters  in  the  same  place  as  the  cap 
tain  of  the  escort  and  the  quartermaster  of  the  militia,  that  I 
might  get  all  that  was  necessary  for  the  division.  However,  this 
was  very  expensive  for  me,  because  these  gentlemen  lived  at 
public  expense,  getting  a  receipt  for  everything  they  ate,  which 
was  afterwards  paid  back  to  them.  This  was  rather  hard  on 
my  purse. 

NOVEMBER  16,  13  MILES. 

We  proceed  as  far  as  Palmes.  On  the  road  we  met  a  major 
of  cavalry,  who  was  sent  by  General  Washington  to  take  com 
mand  of  the  three  German  divisions.  He  reported  to  Brigadier 
Specht,  and  showed  his  instructions  from  General  Washington. 
These  instructions  were  worded  in  a  very  polite  manner  con 
sidering  our  circumstances,  and  mentioned  that  the  chief  reason 
for  sending  him,  was  to  facilitate  matters  for  our  troops  on 
the  march,  and  to  see  to  it  that  we  were  well  treated  by  the 
inhabitants.  Colonel  Bland  took  command  of  all  six  divisions 
while  on  the  march  to  Virginia. 

NOVEMBER   17,  8  MILES. 

We  went  as  far  as  Wilbraham.  Here  the  drivers  re 
fused  to  stay  with  us  any  longer.  They  were  dissatisfied  because 
the  pay  was  not  as  big  as  they  expected.  We  had  gone  only 
8  miles  and  their  remuneration  was  in  accordance  with  the 
short  trip.  No  other  means  was  left  but  to  make  them  a  pres 
ent  of  money,  as  the  captain  of  the  escorts  was  determined  to 
keep  them.  Their  refusal  resulted  almost  in  a  riot.  They  all 
formed  a  circle  and,,  lifting  up  their  hands,  swore  that  they 
would  not  stay.  They  fully  proved  themselves  to  be  inhabitants 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  not  to  be  governed  so  easily. 

The  province  of  Massachusetts,  the  borders  of  which  we 
reached  today,  is  particularly  well  cultivated.  Although  the 
houses  are  of  light  structure,  they  are  regularly  and  tastefully 
built,  very  clean  inside,  comfortable  and  roomy.  They  are 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  133 

also  well  furnished.  In  comparison  with  the  size,  this  province 
is  the  most  populated.  Married  people  without  children  are 
very  scarce.  The  girls  mature  very  early;  I  have  seen  quite  a 
number  of  them,  hardly  17  years  old  and  as  big  and  developed 
as  they  would  ever  be.  I  met  even  some  only  13  years  old,  who 
were  already  married.  However,  they  get  old  very  early,  and 
a  woman  of  30  often  looked  like  one  50  years  old.  The  people  are 
very  fond  of  luxury,  especially  the  women,  which  fondness 
shows  itself  in  their  dress  and  also  in  their  houses.  However, 
the  way  of  living  in  regard  to  food  is  very  poor.  No  German 
stomach  can  put  up  with  it.  The  men  are  very  industrious, 
especially  in  business,  but  they  are  selfish  and  not  sociable. 
The  women  are  exceedingly  proud,  negligent  and  very  lazy. 
The  men  have  to  do  all  outside  work,  as  milking  the  cows,  etc. 
The  woman  in  New  England  is  the  laziest  creature  I  know 
in  this  world,  and  not  much  good  for  anything.  The  land  is 
cultivated  rather  well,  but  is,  however,  full  of  rocks.  It  is, 
therefore  not  well  fitted  for  the  culture  of  wheat  and  oats. 
Corn  will  grow  very  well  and  is  planted  the  most.  From  the 
stems  of  the  corn,  when  still  green,  a  syrup  is  obtained  which 
is  almost  as  good  as  the  molasses  produced  in  the  West  Indies. 
All  work  in  the  field  is  done  with  oxen,  as  also  the  driving 
of  wagons,  etc.,  while  horses  are  used  for  riding  or  as  car 
riage  horses  for  the  lady  of  the  house.  The  climate  is  very 
healthy,  and  even  strangers  find  it  so  after  getting  accustomed 
to  the  frequent  changes  and  the  heat,  and  after  going  through 
some  little  illness. 

PROVINCE  CONNECTICUT.  NOVEMBER  i8TH,  15  MILES. 

Today  we  marched  continuously  through  woods  and  did 
not  see  a  house  for  about  5  or  6  miles,  when  we  reached  the 
little  town  of  Enfield  in  the  province  of  Connecticut.  Enfield 
covers  a  great  deal  of  ground  for  so  small  a  place.  There 
are  about  250  houses,  many  of  which  are  bad.  This  town  is 
situated  on  the  Connecticut  River,  which  fact  helped  to  make 
the  place  a  good  business  town.  Much  of  the  wealth,  however, 
is  lost  now.  The  escort  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts  was 


134  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

released  today  by  militia  from  Connecticut.  The  latter  showed 
themselves  much  more  agreeable  and  polite  than  the  ones  from 
Massachusetts. 

NOVEMBER  IQTH,  5  MILES. 

The  ferry  across  the  Connecticut  River  is  seven  miles  from 
the  city,  and  the  big  flat  boats  are  used  for  crossing.  These 
are  70  feet  long  and  can  carry  50-60  men.  The  crossing  was 
accomplished  in  a  rather  short  time,  although  the  river  is  more 
than  l/2  mile  wide  and  has  a  swift  current.  When  the  last  Eng 
lish  division  was  taken  over,  the  boat  was  carried  down  stream 
by  the  current  for  about  4  miles,  and  two  men  were  drowned. 
We  went  as  far  as  Suffield,  a  little  town  with  well  built  houses, 
where  we  were  well  received.  Wre  noticed  a  great  difference  in 
the  behavior  of  these  people  from  that  of  those  in  the  province 
of  Massachusetts,  who  at  all  occasions  treated  us  badly  and 
showed  themselves  very  ill  mannered.  Our  officers  gave  the 
belles  of  the  town  a  ball  in  the  evening.  Everyone,  even  the 
clergyman's  wife,  came  and  we  danced  till  daybreak. 

(105  MILES.) 

NOVEMBER  2OTH,  14  MILES. 

To  Symsburg,  a  small  town,  Brigadier  Poor  had  arrived 
here  with  the  brigade  before  us  and  took  command  of  the 
escort.  Therefore  the  militia  left  us.  Brigadier  Poor  was  very 
polite  and  issued  strict  orders  that  none  of  his  officers  were  to 
go  to  our  quarters,  so  that  we  might  be  undisturbed.  He  also 
ordered  his  men  to  camp  out,  in  spite  of  the  cold,  while  our 
men  were  to  be  quartered  in  the  barns.  Instead  of  an  escort  of 
100  men,  a  whole  regiment  turned  out.  Its  commander  was 
rather  strict  at  first,  but  as  soon  as  he  saw  how  orderly  our 
men  behaved  he  left  them  alone. 

NOVEMBER  2isx,  14  MILES. 

We  marched  towards  and  crossed  the  Symsburg  River, 
which  is  something  like  our  Oder,  however,  not  navigable  on  ac 
count  of  the  many  rocks  and  cliffs,  and  passed  through  a  thickly 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  135 

wooded  country  almost  without  population,  until  we  reached  New 
Hardfordt,  a  place  of  about  8  houses.  We  only  got  four  barns 
for  the  division.  It  froze  hard  during  the  night,  much  to  our 
pleasure,  because  the  roads  were  greatly  improved  by  it. 

NOVEMBER  22  ND,  15  MILES. 

The  march  through  the  mountains,  or  the  so-called 
"Green  Woods"  to  Nortfolk,  which  we  took  today,  had 
been  described  to  us  something  very  bad,  and  we  were 
expecting  the  worst  road  possible.  However,  our  expectations 
and  every  idea  of  a  very  bad  road  were  still  surpassed. 
It  was  certainly  hard  work  to  take  a  brigade  of  four  regiments 
with  six  cannon  and  a  lot  of  baggage  14  miles  through  the  woods, 
down  a  very  steep  mountain,  then  up  again  another  one  still 
higher  and  steeper,  and  so  on.  Sometimes  rock  of  3-4  feet  cir 
cumference  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  It  was  very  cold, 
and  the  water  coming  down  the  mountains  was  frozen,  which 
made  the  ascents  and  descents  very  difficult  for  men  and  almost 
impossible  for  horses.  In  short,  everything  was  surpassed  that 
could  be  called  a  bad  road,  since  in  addition  the  valleys  were  so 
swampy  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  walk  through  them. 
Nevertheless,  the  regiments  would  have  made  it,  had  not  broken 
wagons  of  the  brigade  of  General  Poor  barred  the  way.  They 
had  been  on  the  march  since  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  night 
set  in.  They  stayed  about  three  miles  from  Nortfield  in  some 
houses  in  the  woods  to  wait  for  the  next  day.  I  rode  on  as  hard 
as  I  could  and  arrived  about  4  in  the  afternoon  in  Nortfolk,  where 
I  met  our  ist  division,  which  had  been  compelled  to  remain  there 
to  wait  for  their  baggage.  The  ist  division  left  Nortfolk,  and 
at  1 1  o'clock  our  division  took  their  place.  The  wagons  with  the 
baggage  arrived  late  in  the  evening,  with  the  exception  of  four 
which  had  broken  down  and  had  been  left  behind  in  the  woods. 
Brigadier  Poor  received  orders  to  go  to  their  winter  quarters  in 
Middleborough,  and  militia  took  the  place  of  the  escort.  The 
clergymen  of  the  place  had  a  concert  and  ball  today.  An  affair 
of  this  kind  is  not  considered  wrong  here  at  all,  as  it  is  at  home. 


136  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

NOVEMBER  24x11,  13  MILES. 

To  Salisbury,  a  very  good  township,  where  we  found 
many  nice  people  and  good  quarters.  None  of  the  other 
divisions  had  been  here  before  us.  The  place  was  situated 
ir  a  very  pleasant  part  of  the  country,  which  had  induced 
many  rich  people  to  settle  here.  (November  25th.)  Brigadier 
Specht  had  applied  for  a  day  of  rest  for  the  division  of 
Colonel  Bland,  but  the  reply  did  not  come  until  we  had  started 
on  our  march.  However,  when  the  answer  was  received  that  the 
request  was  granted,  we  returned  to  our  quarters.  A  ball  was 
given  in  the  evening,  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  time.  Twenty- 
five  belles  of  rank  were  present  and  the  ladies  danced  very  well 
till  morning.  There  were  iron  works  in  the  place  and  a  smelting 
furnace  laid  out  very  well  and  on  a  large  scale.  All  establish 
ments  which  had  been  erected  to  supply  the  necessities  of  war  and 
its  continuation,  have  developed  exceedingly  well,  considering 
the  short  time  of  their  existence,  and  it  is  astonishing  how  people 
who  had  been  completely  ignorant  of  these  matters,  succeeded 
so  well. 

NOVEMBER  26TH. — We  started  at  9  o'clock  and  marched 
to  Sheron,  a  small  town  with  100-200  well  built  houses.  This 
town  is  situated  in  the  border  of  the  province.  Our  militia  escort 
left  us  here  and  Continental  troops  took  the  place.  The  province 
of  Connectitut  is  also  well  cultivated  and  populated,  perhaps 
not  quite  so  much  as  Massachusetts.  The  country  is  very  moun 
tainous,  but  the  soil  is  not  so  rocky  as  in  the  latter  province,  and 
more  wheat  is  planted.  It  has  especially  good  pastures  and  con 
sequently  many  cattle,  so  that  other  provinces  get  their  supply 
of  stock  from  Connecticut.  The  inhabitants  are  better  mannered 
and  not  so  haughty  as  those  in  Massachusetts,  also  more  hospit 
able.  They  were  very  nice  to  us.  There  was  quite  a  number  of 
them  who  were  for  the  King  and  would  tell  us  so  as  soon  as  they 
were  alone  with  us.  The  women  are  more  inclined  to  work 
and  take  an  interest  in  their  housekeeping.  The  province  is  al 
together  in  a  very  flourishing  state.  All  arrangements  in  regard 
to  our  march  had  been  well  made,  so  that  we  had  an  ample  supply 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  137 

of  wagons  and  other  necessities.     Our  hosts  were  immediately 
paid  for  the  loss  of  wood  and  straw  used  by  our  soldiers. 

PROVINCE  OF  NEW  YORK.     18  MILES,   NOVEMBER  27x11. 

Since  Congress  thought  it  probable  that  many  of  our  men 
might  want  to  desert  to  New  York  City,  a  closer  watch  was  kept 
over  us  and  patrols  were  placed  on  both  sides  to  prevent  deser 
tion.  The  border  of  the  province  is  near  the  village  Amenia,  a 
place  about  two  miles  long.  It  is  5  miles  from  Sheron.  The 
houses  are  very  poor  and  like  the  Canadian  houses,  built  of  beams 
put  up  one  on  top  the  other.  Some  of  them  are  not  better  than 
the  shanties  of  the  Indians.  We  marched  to  Nein  Partner  (?), 
the  inhabitants  of  which  are  almost  all  Quaker  and  Tories,  who 
received  us  very  friendly  in  consequence.  The  road  was  very 
hilly  and  hard  to  travel  until  Oswego  and  Beckmanes  Place.  We 
found  very  fewr  and  bad  houses  on  the  way. 

14  MILES,  NOVEMBER  28x11.     14  MILES,  NOVEMBER  29x11. 

We  passed  through  well  cultivated  country  to  Fishkill, 
where  I  learned  on  arrival  that  General  Washington  had  come 
to  the  place  to  see  the  German  division  march  through.  I  in 
formed  the  division  of  this  fact,  and  we  marched  in  particularly 
good  order.  The  general  sent  at  once  one  of  his  adjutants  to 
Brigadier  Specht,  inviting  him  and  his  suite  to  dinner.  Brigadier 
Specht,  Brigadier  Major  Cleve  and  I  went  to  see  him  and  were 
received  very  politely.  He  shook  hands  with  us  according  to 
the  custom  here,  and  we  sat  around  the  fire  place  for  one  half 
hour,  drinking  toddy,  a  drink  made  of  whisky  water  and  sugar. 
The  general  was  very  nice,  wished  to  be  able  to  facilitate  matters 
for  Brigadier  Spect  on  the  march  and  was  quite  satisfied  that  we 
did  not  complain  of  anything.  As  Brigadier  Specht  was  in 
disposed,  we  did  not  stay  to  dinner,  although  General  Washing 
ton  urged  us  much.  I  acted  as  interpreter,  since  Brigadier 
Specht  did  not  understand  English,  and  Washington  knew  no 
German.  General  Washington  is  a  man  of  medium  height,  well 
built  and  well  educated.  He  has  a  rather  large  nose,  but  not  out 
of  proportion.  He  speaks  very  distinctly  and  expresses  himself 


138  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

rather  more  sincerely  than  complimentary,  however,  is  quite  po 
lite.  In  short,  he  impresses  you  as  a  good  man,  who  can  be 
trusted,  He  has  nothing  extraordinary  or  great  about  him, 
which  I  expected.  We  received  in  Fishkill  money  for  provi 
sions  for  165  days,  sent  by  General  Clinton.  Each  lieutenant 
got  four  guineas.  I  received  also  a  letter  from  my  best  wife, 
dated  May  31,  1777,  which  Lieteuant  Cleve,  whom  General  v. 
Riedesel  had  sent  from  Cambridge,  brought  along.  I  was  one 
among  five  who  received  letters.  Fishkill  is  a  small  town  and 
has  about  100  houses,  spread  over  4  miles.  The  barracks  here 
can  shelter  a  thousand  men,  and  there  is  also  a  hospital  for  the 
army,  which,  however,  has  few  doctors  and  surgeons. 

NOVEMBER  30x11. 

All  six  divisions  had  a  day  of  rest.  General  Washington 
departed. 

DECEMBER  IST.     5^  MILES. 

We  marched  aout  4  miles  to  the  Hudson  River,  or  North 
River,  and  crossed  it  on  a  two-masted  vessel,  which  held  150 
men.  The  Hudson  is  here  7  miles  wide  and  has  a  swift  current. 
It  takes  about  12-16  minutes  to  cross,  if  the  wind  is  from  the 
northwest.  It  took  us  4-5  hours  before  the  division  and  all  the 
baggage  were  taken  over.  We  marched  to  Newburg,  because 
there  were  not  enough  houses  on  the  banks  which  are  very  rocky 
and  steep.  The  greater  part  of  the  division  had  to  get  quarters 
again  with  the  assistance  of  the  escort. 

220  miles. 

DECEMBER  2ND,  13  MILES. 

We  did  not  start  until  i  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  because 
the  wagons  for  transporting  our  baggage  did  not  arrive  before 
that  time.  We  passed  through  Little  Britain,  a  place  with  poor 
little  houses  built  on  both  sides  of  the  road.  We  arrived  at 
Kilen,  or  Otterkill,  where  we  found  only  a  few  poorly  built 
houses.  We  marched  continuously  through  woods  and  did  not 
arrive  at  our  quarters  until  night. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  139 

DECEMBER  3RD,  7  MILES. 

To  Goshion,  a  town  of  200  nice  houses.  In  New  Burry, 
our  escort  was  changed  again  to  one  of  Continental  troops.  The 
commander,  a  very  refined  man,  who  had  formerly  been  in 
English  service  and  had  traveled  through  France,  Italy  and  Ger 
many,  was  very  nice  to  me,  and  I  formed  an  agreeable  friend 
ship  with  him  during  our  march. 

DECEMBER  4TH,  13  MILES. 

Through  a  place  called  Florida  to  Warrick,  a  township. 
The  weather  was  very  changeable  during  our  march  through 
York  State.  It  froze  at  night,  but  was  warm  enough  in  the  day 
to  melt  the  ice  again.  The  part  of  the  province  of  New  York 
through  which  we  marched  is  little  cultivated.  The  houses  are 
miserable  and  most  of  the  country  is  wooded.  There  are  some 
good  corn  fields,  however.  A  great  part  of  the  inhabitants  is 
for  the  King  and  many  have  for  this  reason,  besides  kept  pris 
oners,  lost  all  their  possessions.  The  Tories  are  treated  very 
badly  in  this  province  and  sometimes  tortured  half  to  death. 

NEW  JERSEY.     17  MILES,  DECEMBER  5TH. 

Today  we  passed  the  so-called  Heihland's  (rather  high 
mountains)  which  commence  at  the  Delaware  River,  running 
down  to  the  coast.  It  rained  very  hard  and  the  roads  were  bad. 
We  went  as  far  as  Hardystone,  a  badly  cultivated  country. 

DECEMBER  6xH. 
The  whole  line  had  a  day  of  rest. 

DECEMBER  7TH,  16  MILES. 

We  were  supposed  to  march  to  the  small  town  of  Sussex. 
However,  the  first  division  was  unable  to  leave  the  place  for  want 
of  wagons  and  provisions.  We  went  to  Endores  Forniss  (an 
iron  smelter),  where  the  greater  part  of  the  division  had  to  camp 
out  in  the  woods  on  account  of  an  insufficient  number  of  houses 
to  take  us  in.  We  had  to  remain  here  for  two  days,  because  our 


140  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

provisions  from  Sussex  did  not  arrive  sooner.      (December  8th 
and  Qth.  ) 

DECEMBER  IOIH,  14  MILES. 

We  had  a  dreary  march.  It  rained  and  snowed  continuously 
and  the  roads  were  very  bad.  We  marched  to  Haketstown,  a 
small  place. 

DECEMBER  IITH,  12  MILES. 

On  the  nth,  we  went  on  to  Changewater  Ironworks  (?) 
where  our  quarters  were  miserable. 

DECEMBER  I21H,  14  MILES. 

To  Pittstown,  a  small  city.  Half  of  the  division  got  quar 
ters  in  Quakerstown,  where  only  Quakers  live. 


DECEMBER  13111,  4j^  MILES. 

We  were  unable  to  cross  the  Delaware  River,  because  the 
water  was  too  rough.  We  stayed  on  this  side  in  a  small  place 
called  Everit,  and  in  some  other  houses.  The  province  of  New 
Jersey  is  very  hilly  and  woody,  and  is  little  populated.  It  has 
good  pastures,  corn  fields  and  orchards.  There  are  also  a  good 
many  people  here  who  take  sides  with  the  King,  and  who  are 
therefore  badly  treated.  The  inhabitants  are  industrious,  but 
poor.  They  have  suffered  too  much  from  the  war. 

DECEMBER  14111,  i6y2  MILES. 

We  crossed  the  Delaware  River  in  big  flat  boats  at  Schar- 
rots  Ferry.  The  river  here  is  about  J^  mile  wide  ;  the  banks  are 
very  high  and  beautiful.  We  marched  on  good,  even  roads  to  the 
township  Hilltown.  . 

DECEMBER  15111,  8  MILES. 

To  the  township  Montgomery  and  Nortwallis,  where  we  met 
many  Quakers.  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  my  horse,  which  I  had 
brought  from  Boston.  It  had  been  used  too  much  and  was  worn 
out.  I  had  to  buy  another  one.  Some  of  the  officers  went  from 
here  to  Philadelphia. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  141 

DECEMBER  i6xH,  13  MILES. 

We  crossed  the  Schuylkill  on  the  Sullivan  Bridge  (built  by 
General  Sullivan)  which  is  228  paces  long  and  rests  on  9  wooden 
pillars.  The  current  is  very  swift,  on  account  of  which  fact 
many  stones  had  to  be  sunk  to  keep  the  pillars  in  place.  Near 
Fishkill  are  the  sheds  where  the  army  of  General  Washington  had 
been  stationed  during  the  winter  of  1777  (called  Washington- 
town).  These  huts,  about  3000,  are  built  in  lines,  and  are  made 
of  beams  covered  with  glue.  The  place  is  fortified  with  lines 
and  batteries,  making  this  camp  "insusprenable"  (insuperable). 
These  huts  had  been  built  in  three  weeks  and  the  camp  looks  like 
a  badly  built  town.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  army  could  stand 
these  quarters  for  a  whole  winter  without  many  of  the  neces 
sities  of  life,  as  shoes  and  stockings,  etc.  We  marched  to  Nor- 
rington  and  Wally  Forge,  not  far  from  these  huts.  The  whole 
line  had  a  day  of  rest  on  December  I7th  and  a  change  was  made 
in  our  escort  to  militia  from  Pennsylvania.  Our  good  Captain 
Price  left  us.  Every  one  of  the  officers  was  sorry  to  lose  him, 
especially  I,  because  I  was  very  much  attached  to  him,  we  got 
along  so  well. 

DECEMBER  iSxn,  16  MILES. 

We  marched  7  miles  without  an  escort.  Then  an  old  colonel 
appeared,  who  had  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  me.  He  asked 
me  to  tell  him  for  heaven's  sake,  what  he  was  expected  to  do. 
He  confessed  at  the  same  time  that  he  did  not  know  anything 
about  military  service  and  that  he  was  willing  to  do  anything  I 
would  tell  him,  so  that  no  complaint  would  be  made.  We 
marched  to  Daunings  or  Mill  Town  on  the  big  route  to  Lank- 
aster  and  on  December  iQth  (i6l/2  miles)  we  crossed  the  Brande- 
wine  River  and  went  to  Est  Cain  in  the  county  of  Chester,  where 
we  found  a  well  cultivated  country. 

DECEMBER  2OTH,  17  MILES. 

Across  the  Canastaga  Kreek,  J4  English  mile  wide.  The 
water  not  being  very  deep,  the  troops  were  taken  to  the  other 
side  in  wagons,  and  from  there  to  the  town  of  Lankaster.  Here 


I42  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

the  men  received  quarters  in  well  built  barracks  two  stories  high, 
while  the  officers  stayed  in  town.  Lankaster  has  about  1000 
houses;  most  of  them  are  built  of  stone  in  the  best  taste,  4  or  5 
stories  high.  In  front  of  the  houses  is  a  sidewalk  made  of 
brick  for  pedestrians.  This  is  kept  very  clean.  The  place  has 
5  churches  with  steeples,  one  of  the  churches  is  built  entirely  of 
brick  and  is  a  magnificent  building.  Inside  it  has  decorations 
and  an  organ.  The  clergymen  is  a  man  called  Helmuth,  born  in 
Helmstadt,  a  very  nice  and  educated  gentleman.  The  greater 
part  of  the  inhabitants  are  Germans,  who  have  kept  their  language 
and  customs,  but  speak  English  also.  All  sorts  of  artisans  are 
there,  and  especially  many  merchants.  All  things  are  very  high, 
for  instance,  one  bottle  of  wine,  6  rth.,  one  dinner,  3-4  rth.,  etc. 
The  inhabitants  are  very  wealthy.  They  came  as  poor  people 
from  all  parts  of  Germany.  The  houses  are  very  clean  inside  and 
the  way  of  living  is  exactly  like  that  in  Germany.  Our  hopes  of 
being  received  in  this  town  by  our  countrymen  in  a  hospitable 
manner,  were  cruelly  deceived.  Most  of  them  had  to  be  forced 
by  the  escort  to  let  the  officers  have  a  room  in  their  houses.  They 
behaved  altogether  very  mean  to  us.  However,  I  must  say  that 
there  were  a  few  nice  ones  among  them.  On  the  whole,  we  were 
ashamed  of  being  Germans,  because  we  never  had  met  so  much 
meaness  in  one  spot  as  from  our  countrymen. 

DECEMBER  21  ST. 

We  had  a  day  of  rest.  The  first  division,  which  was  still 
here,  departed.  It  was  very  cold  and  froze  hard  in  these  days. 

DECEMBER  22ND,  10  MILES. 

We  marched  to  the  Susquehanna  River,  which  we  were 
unable  to  cross  on  account  of  stormy  weather.  We  took  our 
quarters  on  this  side  of  the  river  in  Hampton  Township.  The 
river  at  Wright's  Ferry  is  i  fy  miles  wide  and  full  of  little  islands 
and  cliffs,  which  prevent  vessels  from  coming  up.  High  and  low 
tide  can  be  noticed  25  miles  from  here.  The  current  is  so  swift 
that  it  is  difficult  to  cross,  and  impossible  when  the  weather  is 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  143 

bad,  although  it  has  no  great  depth  and  ground  can  be  reached 
with  poles  in  many  places. 

DECEMBER  23RD. 

We  crossed  the  Susquehanna  in  big  flat  boats  like  those  on 
the  Delaware  River.  The  oars  were  fastened  to  the  boat  with 
iron.  It  took  the  first  division  from  8  o'clock  to  12  to  reach 
the  other  side.  We  marched  through  plain,  well  cultivated  coun 
try  to  Yorktown,  a  place  similar  to  Lankaster,  with  German  in 
habitants.  The  town  is  not  quite  as  big  and  there  are  only  two 
Dutch  Reformed  and  one  English  church  here.  The  Anabap- 
tistes,  of  which  there  are  many,  also  have  a  chapel.  The  city 
has  about  500  houses,  but  little  ground,  and  the  inhabitants  make 
their  living  mostly  by  trade.  At  night  it  snowed  very  much  and 
froze  hard.  It  was  impossible  to  find  quarters  in  this  city  of  our 
respected  countrymen.  Everyone  refused  to  take  us  in,  and  even 
outside  the  town,  nothing  could  be  found.  This  compelled  most 
of  our  poor  men  to  camp  out  in  the  woods,  although  it  was  very 
cold.  It  really  does  credit  to  the  character  of  the  Germans,  that 
our  countrymen  were  the  only  ones  who  treated  us  mean  and  tried 
at  the  same  time  to  get  something  out  of  us  and  to  cheat  us.  They 
were  also  very  rude. 

DECEMBER  24x11,  18  MILES. 

The,  division  marched  to  Hanover  or  McCallestertown 
where  one  regiment  received  quarters.  The  rest  of  the  men  in 
groups  of  5-16  men  were  quartered  in  the  houses.  The  city  was 
named  after  a  man  called  McCallester,  who  founded  the  place. 

This  man  receives  a  tax  of  15  shillings  a  year  for  each  acre. 
There  are  about  100  nice  houses  and  one  Lutheran  and  one  Re 
formed  Church.  The  inhabitants  are  mostly  Germans.  They 
received  us  very  well,  indeed,  which  reconciled  us  a  little  with  our 
countrymen. 

DECEMBER  25x11. 

We  had  a  day  of  rest  and  all  the  German  maidens  came  to  a 
ball  given  by  us  and  danced  with  our  officers  in  spite  of  it  being 
Christmas  and  a  holiday. 


144  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

DECEMBER  26TH,  7  MILES. 

It  had  snowed  so  much  at  night  that  the  roads  had  become 
very  bad.  As  we  were  unable  to  go  as  far  as  Townytown,  we 
took  quarters  in  Little  Piterstown,  or  Pitersbourgh,  a  little  town 
of  50  houses,  which  were  very  plain  and  poor.  This  place  has 
been  in  existence  only  for  9  or  10  years.  Not  far  from  here  is 
the  border  of  the  province  of  Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania  is  a  very  flourishing  state,  not  very  hilly.  It 
has  good  soil  for  wheat,  rye,  etc.  There  are  also  good  pastures. 
It  has  the  most  beautiful  estates,  and  almost  all  houses  in  the  cities 
as  well  as  in  the  country  are  built  of  brick.  All  the  houses  are 
fine  and  big,  also  the  barns  and  stables.  There  is  no  other  coun 
try  with  so  many  beautiful  houses.  The  inhabitants  are  also 
mostly  Germans,  and  there  are  quite  a  number,  who  cannot  even 
understand  English,  let  alone  speaking  it.  They  are  very  in 
dustrious,  and  consequently  rich.  Their  estates  look  very  pros 
perous.  However,  they  do  not  live  extravagantly,  on  the  con 
trary,  they  are  inclined  to  gather  more  riches.  A  great  part  of 
them  are  Quakers  or  Anabaptists,  or  they  belong  to  one  of  the 
many  other  sects  found  in  America.  All  these  sects  are  not  much 
thought  of  by  the  other  inhabitants  of  America,  because  they  re 
fuse  to  go  to  war  or  to  carry  arms.  The  Quakers  live  very  well, 
but  do  not  care  to  associaite  with  other  people.  Men  as  well  as 
women  dress  very  plainly,  choose,  however,  the  finest  and  best 
material,  being  magnificently  dressed  in  this  way.  They  are 
very  kind  to  strangers,  and  we  have  good  reason  to  be  pleased 
with  them,  as  they  received  us  always  very  kindly.  We  found 
many  nice,  good  girls  among  their  women,  who  were  in  many 
ways  not  so  shy  as  others.  Almost  all  the  Quakers  are  wealthy 
people,  who  never  let  any  one  belonging  to  their  sect,  be  reduced 
to  poverty.  However,  they  expel  every  one  from  their  congre 
gation  who  does  anything  against  their  principles,  even  if  the 
crime  committed  is  not  a  religious  crime.  They  look  out  for  their 
own  interests  a  good  deal,  and  allow  only  Quakers  to  share  their 
profits. 

(481  miles.) 

The  Pennsylvania  people  are  the  best  manufacturers  and 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  145 

artisans  in  America.  The  best  educational  institutions  and  ex 
cellent  factories  are  found  in  the  town  of  Bethlehem;  all  other 
provinces  receive  their  best  grade  of  merchandise  from  this  place. 
The  Penn  family  still  has  the  right  of  possession  of  the  province 
to  the  extent  of  owning  the  country  within  the  old  outlines  as  long 
as  they  do  not  side  with  the  King.  However,  it  is  to  be  doubted, 
if  they  will  be  allowed  to  sell  in  the  future  the  parts  which  are 
not  yet  cultivated.  We  were  exceedingly  well  received  in  Penn 
sylvania  (excepting  the  cities  the  cities  of  Lankaster  and  York- 
town).  We  liked  it  best  at  the  Quakers,  Anabapatists  and  other 
sects;  they  were  the  most  hospitable  to  our  men.  Each  wagon 
carrying  our  baggage,  was  paid  for  with  55  shillings  per  day  and 
free  forage.  The  horses  of  this  province  surpass  all  others  in 
regard  to  the  amount  of  work  they  can  do.  They  are  stronger 
and  bigger  than  all  I  have  seen. 

PROVINCE  OF  MARYLAND.     DECEMBER  27x11,  9  MILES. 

We  passed  through  woods  and  badly  cultivated  counrty  until 
we  reached  Towny  Town,  a  miserable  little  place  with  50-60 
houses.  The  militia  of  Pennsylvania  left  us  here  and  an  escort 
from  Maryland  took  its  place.  We  lost  everytime  when  a  change 
was  made,  because  the  new  comers  did  not  know  what  to  do,  nor 
were  they  inclined  to  help  us. 

DECEMBER  28111,  14  MILES. 

We  crossed  the  Pempeip  Kreek  on  a  bridge,  and  went  to 
Pempeip  Hunnert,  a  very  badly  cultivated  country  with  only  mis 
erable  huts.  These  are  owned  by  a  man  named  Baltimore  to 
whom  also  a  great  stretch  of  land  around  them  belongs.  This 
man  used  to  get  a  tax  of  10  shs.  a  year  for  each  house.  This  tax 
is  no  more  in  force  now. 

DECEMBER  29x11,  1 1  MILES. 

We  marched  over  the  ice  across  the  Manakescy  Kreek  to 
Fredericks  Town,  a  beautiful  little  town  mostly  inhabited  by  Ger 
mans.  There  are  about  100  houses.  A  great  number  of  the 
Germans  came  here  from  the  Palatinate.  They  gave  us  very  good 


146  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

quarters.     The  first  division  left  as  soon  as  we  arrived  and  ad 
vanced  to  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  River. 

DECEMBER  30x11,  17  MILES. 

We  did  not  start  for  the  Potomac  until  noon,  and  even 
stopped  on  our  way  to  take  quarters.  Conditions  for  crossing 
the  river  were,  however,  so  favorable  today,  that  we  received 
orders  to  proceed,  as  the  drift  ice  might  get  worse  and  prevent 
us  from  crossing  for  some  time.  Only  the  regiment  Specht  suc 
ceeded  in  crossing,  because  night  was  comnig  on.  They  had 
to  go  quite  a  distance  for  their  quarters,  the  first  division  having 
taken  up  all  quarters  available  near  the  crossing  place. 

DECEMBER  31  ST. 

The  rest  of  the  division  crossed  the  river  and  took  up  the 
quarters  vacated  by  the  first.  The  Potomac  River  at  Wnoland's 
(?)  Ferry,  where  we  crossed,  is  one  English  mile  wide.  It  is  not 
very  deep,  and  it  is  possible  to  ride  through  in  summer.  The 
current  is,  however,  very  strong,  and  the  crossing  is  dangerous 
at  this  time  of  the  year  on  account  of  the  drift  ice.  We  were 
taken  over  in  big  flat  boats  like  those  at  the  Delaware  River,  and 
made  good  time,  the  water  being  quiet.  The  ist  division  re 
turned,  because  the  last  English  division  had  been  obliged  to  re 
main  in  Luisburg  for  want  of  provisons.  We  had  also  been 
short  in  provisions  for  the  last  two  days.  I  rode  ahead  to  Luis- 
burg  to  send  some  supplies  from  there. 

VIRGINIA.     JANUARY  IST,  1779. 

The  last  English  division  departed,  and  our  first  took  their 
places.  The  Potomac  River  forms  the  border  between  Mary 
land  and  Virginia.  The  latter  province  as  well  as  Maryland  is 
still  very  woody,  and  only  poorly  built  houses  are  found.  In  no 
other  province  are  such  poor  houses  as  here.  There  are  many 
Germans  in  Maryland,  but  as  they  have  only  rented  their  farms 
for  a  few  years,  they  are  unwilling  to  build  good  houses.  Their 
way  of  living  is  miserable. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  147 

The  city  of  Luisburg  has  about  50  houses,  which  are  badly 
constructed.  It  is  a  wretched  place. 

All  things  cost  a  good  deal  here,  except  fowl,  which  can 
be  had  in  abundance.  Especially  good  are  the  wild  turkeys,  of 
which  there  are  plenty  in  the  woods  of  Virginia.  They  are 
similar  to  the  domestic  turkey,  only  bigger  and  black.  On  all 
plantations  are  a  great  many  black  slaves,  which  often  run  around 
naked,  because  clothes  are  too  expensive.  I  saw  myself  a  girl 
of  rank  being  served  with  a  drink  by  a  negro  of  about  the  same 
age,  who  had  no  clothes  on  at  all. 

JANUARY  2ND,  1779. 

The  first  division  not  having  received  the  necesssary  sup 
plies,  had  to  stay  over ;  so  did  ours. 

JANUARY  3RD,  1 1  MILES. 

The  first  division  left,  and  ours  took  up  their  quarters  at 
Luisburg.  We  had  to  be  contented  with  cornmeal  here,  as  no 
arrangements  for  other  supplies  had  been  made. 

JANUARY  4TH,  16  MILES. 

The  division  marched  through  badly  cultivated  country  to 
the  county  of  Laudon,  and  from  there  to 

JANUARY  5111,  15  MILES. 

"Red  House,"  a  place  with  a  few  miserable  little  houses,  5-6 
miles  apart. 

JANUARY  6xH,  15  MILES. 

To  Fouquier  Court  House,  on  incredibly  bad  roads.  The 
wagons  were  unable  to  get  here  until  late 

JANUARY  7TH. 

And  we  were  obliged  to  lay  over  for  a  day.  I  rode  ahead 
to  Windsor,  where  I  took  my  quarters  at  a  gentleman's  house 
who  treated  me  exceedingly  well. 


148  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

JANUARY  STH,  16  MILES. 

The  division  marched  to  Windsor.  I  rode  ahead  again  and 
took  quarters  with  a  Mr.  Nox,  a  true  Virginian  gentleman,  who 
received  me  most  cordially,  treating  me  in  great  style.  I  had 
to  promise  him  that  I  should  visit  him  for  3-4  weeks,  after  we 
reached  Charlotteville.  I  intend  to  keep  my  promise,  because 
he  was  such  a  gentleman  and  his  wife  an  exceedingly  nice  woman. 
I  can  be  sure  of  a  very  good  time  there. 

The  roads  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  very  bad.  They 
get  worse  every  day  on  account  of  the  weather  getting  warmer. 
It  was  sometimes  too  hot  for  marching  during  the  day.  The 
march  was  made  more  difficult  by  the  many  creeks  which  we  had 
to  cross  and  all  the  men  had  to  be  taken  to  the  other  side  in 


wagons. 

(605  miles.) 


JANUARY  QTH,  17  MILES. 


The  division  marched  to  Calpeper  Court  House.  On  their 
way  hence  they  had  to  cross  a  big  creek  and  the  inhabtants  let 
the  men  ride  through  it  on  their  horses.  The  country  is  very 
woody. 

The  court  houses  of  the  counties  are  always  surrounded  by 
a  few  other  houses.  These  few  houses,  sometimes  only  6  or  7, 
pretended  to  be  a  city.  The  houses  in  Virginia  are  mostly  far 
apart,  because  each  plantation  is  surrounded  by  all  the  land  be 
longing  to  it. 

JANUARY  IOTH,  16  MILES. 

The  division  marched  to  the  Robinson  River  through  a 
country  which  was  little  cultivated.  The  snow  was  melting,  but 
we  were  able  to  cross  the  river  on  a  bridge.  It  was,  however, 
impossible  for  us  to  cross  a  tributary  of  this  river,  which  runs 
along  the  fallow  land  of  the  Rapahamac  for  six  miles.  There 
were  no  houses  nearby,  and  the  division  was  obliged  to  return  to 
their  old  quarters. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  149 

JANUARY  IITH,  6  MILES. 

I  was  obliged  to  go  on  to  Orange  Court  House,  as  our  pro 
visions  were  giving  out.  I  had  to  swim  through  the  river  with 
my  horse;  the  water  came  above  the  saddle.  I  almost  lost  my 
servant  at  this  occasion.  He  had  been  careless  and  was  taken 
clown  the  river  by  the  current. 

JANUARY  I2XH,  15  MILES. 

I  procured  two  wagons  which  took  the  men  through  the 
river  Rapid  Anne,  which  had  fallen  considerably.  The  division 
marched  to  Orange  Court  House,  where  the  greater  part  had  to 
remain  outdoors  on  account  of  too  few  houses. 

JANUARY  13x11,  16  MILES. 

We  marched  to  the  end  of  Orange  County.  The  last  quar 
ters  occupied  were  already  in  Albemarle  County.  The  roads 
were  very  muddy  and  in  the  worst  condition  possible. 

JANUARY  14x11,  16  MILES. 

We  went  as  far  as  the  North  Branch  of  the  James  River. 
I  started  early  in  the  morning  for  Charlotteville  to  hunt  up  quar 
ters,  in  which  attempt  I  was,  however,  unsuccessful.  There  were 
very  few  houses,  and  I  could  hardly  get  quarters  for  myself  for 
the  night. 

JANUARY  15x11,  10  MILES. 

The  division  left  for  Charlotteville,  where  the  men  got 
quarters  in  the  woods.  It  was  hardly  possible  for  the  officers 
to  get  a  room  in  the  hotel.  The  few  houses  in  the  place  were  still 
given  up  to  the  English  officers,  who  did  not  know  where  else 
to  go.  All  the  officers  of  our  ist  division  had  gone  with  the  men 
to  the  barracks. 

JANUARY  i6xn,  6  MILES. 

At  last  our  difficult  march  was  at  an  end,  and  I  took  the 
division  to  the  barracks.  Also  the  officers  had  to  stay  there,  be- 


150  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

cause  they  could  not  find  any  other  places.     I  was  lucky  enough 
to  find  a  quarter  and  returned  to  Charlotteville. 
(707  miles.) 

JANUABY  17x11. 

On  the  1 7th  of  January  the  last  division  arrived  also  in  the 
barracks.  This  ended  the  march  of  the  army. 

We  have  no  right  to  complain  of  the  treatment  received 
during  the  march.  Although  we  were  refused  quarters  in  some 
places,  we  were  most  the  time  well  received.  The  officers  were 
always  treated  with  distinction.  The  commanders  of  the  escorts 
left  it  entirely  to  the  commanders  of  the  divisions  to  decide  the 
time  of  the  march.  They  allowed  the  divisions  to  march  as  we 
thought  best  and  had  no  objection  to  sending  some  of  the  men 
back,  or  to  giving  them  permission  to  arrive  later.  Most  the 
time  the  escort  only  showed  the  way  or  assisted  in  getting  quar 
ters  for  our  men,  when  we  met  with  a  refusal.  We  have,  how 
ever,  much  cause  to  complain  of  the  expenses  during  the  march. 
We  were  often  taken  advantage  of  and  could  not  help  ourselves. 
In  the  first  place,  the  judge  often  lives  5  to  6  miles  away.  And, 
even  if  we  could  have  reached  him,  it  would  have  done  no  good. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Connecticut  were  the  most  rea 
sonable  ones,  and  lower  classes  in  Virginia  the  worst.  These 
presented  the  most  outrageous  bills.  I  had  to  pay  $30  in  paper 
money  for  two  days  board  and  lodging  in  Luisburg.  I  am  sure 
that  I  had  to  spend  at  least  1000  paper  dollars  during  the  trip 
from  Boston  to  Charlotteville.  I  had  not  been  extravagant  at 
all,  and  had  even  fared  very  poorly  at  times.  The  weather  was 
not  as  unbearable  as  might  have  been  expected  in  this  season. 
We  suffered  more  from  wet  weather  than  from  the  cold.  It  was 
never  very  cold,  and  the  cold  weather  lasted  never  more  than 
4-5  days.  During  the  last  part  of  our  march  we  had  to  pass 
over  very  bad  roads,  especially  in  Virginia,  where  the  ground 
was  often  swampy.  This  caused  the  greatest  difficulties,  be 
cause  the  weather  was  warm  and  the  roads  in  consequence  soft. 
We  were  luckier  than  we  expected  to  be  in  regard  to  desertion. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  151 

When  we  left  Boston,  we  had  good  reason  to  fear  that  we  would 
not  be  able  to  land  here  with  one  third  of  our  men.  How 
ever,  only  a  few  more  than  400  deserted.  We  had  very 
few  sick  men,  and  had  to  leave  only  two  behind.  This  is  remark 
able,  as  we  marched  every  day  regardless  of  the  weather.  It  was 
sometimes  impossible  to  provide  the  men  with  shoes  and  stockings. 
Besides,  they  were  not  able  to  protect  themselves  against  the  cold, 
their  clothes  being  much  torn  and  ragged.  Our  men  had  to 
stand  a  great  many  hardships,  although  everything  was  done  for 
them  that  could  be  done.  In  Pennsylvania  and  other  places  with 
German  inhabitants,  we  lost  most  of  our  men.  They  were  per 
suaded  to  stay  behind,  and  the  girls  did  their  best  to  keep  them 
for  husbands.  Even  the  officers  were  not  safe  from  such  pro 
posals,  and  I  know  of  some  to  whom  girls  were  offered  with  a 
fortune  of  $3000  to  $4000. 

After  having  gone  through  all  the  hardships  of  the  march, 
we  reached  the  climax  of  all  bad  things,  when  we  reached  the 
barracks  at  Charlotteville.  They  are  5  miles  (taking  the  foot 
path)  or  10  miles  (taking  the  main  road,  from  Charlotteville). 
They  are  built  on  a  hill  in  the  woods.  There  is  only  one  house 
between  Charlotteville  and  the  barracks.  The  barracks  are  built 
in  four  rows  in  a  square,  each  row  consisting  of  12  barracks. 
There  are  seven  of  these  squares  one  after  another,  which  makes 
altogether  336  barracks,  36  of  which  in  the  quarters  of  the  Ger 
man  troops,  were  not  intended  to  be  built.  The  12  barracks  in 
each  row  are  close  together  without  space  between.  Each  bar 
rack  is  24  feet  long,  and  14  feet  wide,  big  enough  to  shelter  18 
men. 

The  construction  is  so  miserable  that  it  surpasses  all  that 
you  can  imagine  in  Germany  of  a  very  poorly  built  log  house.  It 
is  something  like  the  following : 

Each  side  is  put  up  of  8  to  9  round  fir  trees,  which  are  laid 
one  on  top  the  other,  but  so  far  apart  that  it  is  almost  possible  for 
a  man  to  crawl  through.  At  the  ends  where  they  join,  they  are 
indented,  thus  keeping  them  in  place.  The  roof  is  made  of 
round  trees  covered  with  split  fir  trees,  intended  to  take  the  place 


152  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

of  boards.  These  trees,  most  the  time  only  one  hand  wide,  make 
bad  roofing,  and  the  rain  comes  through  everywhere.  Heavy 
beams  hold  these  so-called  (meant-to-be)  boards  in  place  so  that 
the  wind  does  not  blow  them  away.  A  hole  is  made  in  the  middle 
of  each  hut,  in  which  a  door  is  fastened.  (The  door  is  put  in  in 
about  the  same  manner  in  which  we  fix  the  door  in  pig  pens.) 
There  is  not  a  single  nail  in  the  whole  lot  of  barracks,  except  5 
or  6  in  the  doors.  Everything  is  just  put  together  without  nails. 
Windows  are  superfluous,  fresh  air,  rain  having  free  passage.  No 
chimney  is  needed  for  the  same  reason,  and  the  fire  is  made  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor.  The  people  lie  around  it  on  the  floor  to 
warm  themselves.  This  was  the  condition  of  the  barracks  when 
we  moved  in.  The  only  difference  was  that  most  of  them  did 
not  even  have  a  roof.  The  first  impression  of  the  quarters  was 
especially  bad  as  it  had  been  snowing  hard  when  we  arrived.  A 
great  number  of  our  men  preferred  to  camp  out  in  the  woods, 
where  they  could  protect  themselves  better  against  the  cold  than 
in  the  barracks.  Never  shall  I  be  able  to  forget  this  day,  which 
was  terrible  in  every  way.  Never  have  I  seen  men  so  discouraged 
and  in  such  despair  as  ours,  when,  tired  and  worn  out  from  the 
long  trip  and  the  hardships,  they  had  to  seek  shelter  in  the  woods 
like  wild  animals.  There  were  no  barracks  for  the  officers.  Ac 
cording  to  the  order  from  Congress,  they  were  to  take  up  their 
quarters  in  the  houses  whenever  they  liked.  None  of  the  English 
officers  were  therefore  with  their  regiments.  Most  of  our  offi 
cers,  however,  stayed  with  their  men.  They  did  not  care  to  leave 
them,  besides  having  no  other  places  to  go.  The  English  officers 
occupied  all  the  houses  near  Charlotteville.  They  had  arrived 
eight  days  sooner  then  we  did. 

The  next  morning  our  men  started  right  away  to  improve 
their  dwellings,  although  they  lacked  almost  all  tools.  They 
filled  the  spaces  with  logs,  built  chimneys  from  wood,  covering 
them  thickly  with  glue,  fixed  up  the  roofs  that  they  would  not 
leak,  and  succeeded  in  making  the  barracks  tight  and  fast,  al 
though  it  was  impossible  to  make  them  comfortable. 

The  officers  had  their  barracks  improved  also,  and  had 
another  kind  of  loghouses  put  up  with  their  own  money.  Our 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  153 

abode  is  now  tolerable.  Some  of  the  officers  went  to  live  in  a 
little  town  called  Stanton,  about  40  miles  from  the  barracks. 
The  commander  of  each  regiment  stayed  with  his  men,  also  one 
captain  and  10  officers.  These  are  to  change  places  after  a  time 
with  those  in  the  town.  Our  limits  are  much  more  extensive 
here  than  they  had  been  near  Boston.  We  have  the  freedom  of 
three  counties;  Albemarle,  Orange  and  Augusta.  Each  officer 
had  to  give  his  word  of  honor  not  to  leave  these  counties.  We 
have  plenty  of  provisions,  and  everything  is  brought  to  us  in 
abundance.  The  only  trouble  is  that  the  people  ask  tremendous 
prices  for  them,  especially  for  groceries,  for  instance,  for  one 
pound  of  coffee,  2  to  35.,  one  pound  of  white  sugar  cost  6s.; 
brown  sugar,  35.;  i  bottle  of  wine  (which  is  bad),  6s.;  one 
quart  of  whisky,  55. ;  one  pound  of  butter  is.  to  45.,  paper  money. 
Cloth,  linen  and  ready  made  garments  are  exceedingly  expen 
sive,  being  scarce  besides.  Paper  money  runs  high  here  in  ex 
change  for  gold  or  silver,  and  i  guinea  is  worth  305.  in  paper 
money.  The  only  trouble  is  that  we  have  not  received  gold 
since  we  left  Boston,  and  have  always  been  paid  with  paper 
money.  One  paper  guinea  is  worth  only  22s.  The  scarceness 
of  gold  is  probably  the  cause  of  its  increase  in  value.  The  officers 
as  well  as  the  men  have  suffered  quite  a  loss  through  this  way 
of  payment;  we  often  might  have  had  405.  or  more  during  the 
march,  if  we  had  been  paid  in  gold. 

Immediately  after  my  arrival  in  Charlotteville,  I  was  in 
troduced  to  the  Clerk  of  the  county  of  Albemarle  by  Col.  Deven- 
port,  a  friend  of  mine.  As  I  was  unable  to  find  quarters  any 
where,  this  man  was  kind  enough  to  offer  a  room  in  his  house. 
I  accepted  this  offer  because  I  had  no  other  place  to  go.  When 
we  became  better  acquainted,  he  wished  me  to  remain  with 
him  for  the  sake  of  my  company,  not  because  he  wanted  the 
money.  In  order  to  have  some  of  my  friends  with  me,  I  asked 
Lieutenant  v.  Burgsdorff  to  share  my  quarters.  The  amount 
we  pay  for  them,  is,  however,  so  very  small  that  it  can  hardly 
be  called  payment.  My  host  did  not  want  to  accept  any  money 
at  all,  but  I  refused  to  stay  for  nothing  and  compelled  to  ask 
at  least  a  small  sum. 


154  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

We  have  a  living  room  and  a  bedroom  for  ourselves,  but 
take  our  meals  with  our  host  except  in  the  morning  when  we 
breakfast  alone.  We  have  everything  we  need,  even  horses, 
should  we  care  to  go  riding.  For  all  this  we  do  not  pay  more 
than  $60 — paper  money,  or  2  guineas  a  month,  which  is  con 
sidered  very  cheap  here. 

The  complaisance  of  my  host  and  his  nice  wife  will  cer 
tainly  do  much  to  make  our  stay  in  Virginia  a  pleasant  one. 
Almost  all  the  other  officers  envy  us. 

Our  host  is  a  man  of  rank  and  has  so  much  company  that 
it  is  often  a  bore  to  me.  Many  a  time  I  wished  to  be  alone, 
but  had  this  privilege  only  a  few  times  during  my  stay  with 
him.  We  live  very  high  and  no  stranger,  whether  he  comes  to 
see  our  host  or  us,  leaves  the  house  without  having  dined  with 
us.  If  he  cares  to  stay  over  night,  he  is  welcome.  It  have  made 
the  acquaintance  of  almost  everybody  of  rank  around  here  and 
received  so  many  invitations  that  I  could  go  visiting  all  summer, 
and  not  have  any  expenses  whatever.  I  have  accepted  some 
of  these  invitations  and  have  been  received  most  cordially  every 
time.  I  was  never  allowed  to  leave  before  3-4  days,  as  much 
as  I  begged  them  to  let  me  go.  I  appreciate  my  good  fortune 
most,  when  I  go  to  the  barracks  and  see  how  my  comrades 
have  to  live.  They  do  not  get  half  as  much  as  I  for  a  greater 
amount  of  money  and  their  life  is  a  great  deal  less  pleasant.  I 
have  permission  to  go  hunting  through  three  counties,  and  every 
thing  that  makes  life  comfortable  and  pleasant  is  at  my  disposal. 
1  am  in  constant  fear  it  cannot  last  long;  I  am  so  much  more 
fortunate  than  others.  In  my  capacity  of  adjutant  of  the  regi 
ment,  I  ought  to  have  remained  with  the  regiment  at  the  bar 
racks.  However,  I  had  to  stay  with  Brigadier  Specht  to  act 
as  interpreter  before  General  v.  Riedesel  arrived.  General  v. 
Riedesel  was  pleased  with  my  services,  and  since  I  was  by  that 
time  acquainted  with  all  the  people  we  had  to  deal  with,  he  wanted 
me  to  remain  with  him  to  transact  all  business.  It  was  agree 
able  to  him  that  I  should  live  in  Charlotteville  (no  other  German 
officer  was  there).  He  gave  orders  to  another  officer  to  do  my 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  155 

work  and  I  am  quite  free  from  duties  of  that  sort.     I  get  my 
pay,  have  little  or  nothing  to  do  and  live  as  I  please. 

The  province  of  Virginia,  although  very  hilly,  has  good, 
fertile  soil,  well  suited  for  cultivating  all  sorts  of  plants  and  fruit. 
Wheat  thrives  especially  well.  During  the  last  three  years  the 
harvest  in  this  state  has,  however,  been  spoiled  by  a  worm, 
(weevel),  which  eats  the  grain,  and  many  a  man  lost  as  many 
as  1500  bushels  in  one  year.  Little  oats,  barley  and  rye  are 
found,  but  plenty  of  corn,  the  leaves  of  which  are  used  in  place 
of  hay.  They  are  picked  while  green  and  give  excellent  food 
for  cattle.  There  is  little  hay  and  few  pastures  on  account  of 
the  high  mountains.  All  sorts  of  fruit  grow  in  abundance,  par 
ticularly  peaches,  which  grow  wild  and  are  so  plentiful  that 
whisky  is  made  of  them  and  the  pigs  eat  them.  I  have  seen 
plantations  where  there  were  more  than  100  peach-trees  ruined 
by  the  super-abundance  of  fruit  in  the  preceding  year,  all  branches 
being  broken  to  the  ground  by  the  too  heavy  load.  All  the  differ 
ent  kinds  of  fruit  which  we  have  at  home,  are  also  found.  The 
only  trouble  is,  that  the  people  do  not  take  the  proper  care  of  them. 
The  chief  product  of  Virginia  is,  as  everybody  knows,  tobacco. 
The  tobacco  here  has  many  leaves,  and  when  it  is  properly  pressed 
and  a  few  years  old,  its  quality  equals  that  of  the  best  tobacco 
anywhere.  Besides  tobacco  much  cotton  is  raised,  which  only 
suffers  if  the  cold  weather  sets  in  too  early.  Rice  is  also  grown, 
but  not  very  much.  The  kernels  never  grow  as  big  and  nice. as 
those  farther  south.  The  province  of  Virginia  is  the  largest  of 
all  and  the  most  thickly  populated,  however,  not  enough  for  its 
dimensions.  Each  plantation  has  so  many  acres  that  it  is  impos 
sible  to  cultivate  all  the  grounds.  A  man  considers  himself  poor 
unless  he  has  4000-5000  acres  in  his  plantation.  There  are  even 
some  plantations  of  15,000  acres.  Only  a  small  part  of  the  land 
is  tilled,  the  rest  is  wooded.  All  the  houses  are  therefore  quite 
a  distance  apart,  which  gives  the  country  an  appearance  of  wil 
derness.  Besides,  everybody  wants  to  have  his  house  situated 
on  a  hill  to  get  the  breeze  in  summer.  This  removes  the  houses 
from  the  main  road  to  such  an  extent  that  they  are  not  visible 
from  the  road  and  if  you  want  to  find  a  certain  house,  you  have 


156  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

to  trust  to  luck  while  following  one  of  the  narrow  footpaths 
which  cross  the  woods.  The  houses  are  not  well  built,  most  the 
time  put  up  of  blocks  of  wood.  They  contain  a  few  rooms  and 
are  one  story  high.  Whoever  lives  in  a  better  built  house, 
must  be  a  wealthy  man  and  a  man  of  rank  (here  called  gentle 
man).  Near  the  house  of  the  owner  are  the  abodes  for  the 
slaves.  Only  few  negroes  live  together  in  these  miserable  little 
sheds,  because  they  are  very  quarrelsome  as  a  rule.  There  are 
few  gardens,  and  landscape  gardening  is  something  extraordinary. 
All  vegetables,  etc.,  are  planted  in  the  fields  which  are  fenced 
in,  so  they  are  as  safe  there  as  in  a  garden.  The  Virginians  do 
not  make  a  business  of  cattle  raising.  They  pay,  however,  much 
attention  to  horse  breeding  and  pride  themselves  on  having  the 
best  riding  horses.  The  horses  are  very  high  in  price  and  some 
times  cost  as  much  as  6000  paper  dollars.  There  are  a 
great  many  pigs  which  furnish  meat  for  the  negroes,  who 
seldom  get  any  other  meat  but  pork.  As  soon  as  the  acorns  and 
chestnuts  are  ripe,  the  pigs  run  out  in  the  woods  and  mountains ; 
nobody  looks  after  them  until  fall  when  the  owner  has  to  go  as 
far  as  40  miles  sometimes  to  take  them  home  for  slaughtering. 
Stags  and  deer  are  plentiful,  hares  also,  but  they  are  small  and 
very  much  like  rabbits.  They  are  not  considered  any  good.  There 
is  much  wild  fowl,  especially  pheasants  and  partridges,  which 
are  smaller  than  ours.  Wild  turkeys  are  either  shot  or  caught 
in  traps.  They  are  much  bigger  than  our  domestic  turkeys,  but 
firm  and  tasty.  There  are  also  plenty  of  wild  ducks  and  geese 
around  the  tributaries  of  the  St.  James  river.  We  have  two  trib 
utaries  in  our  neighborhood.  The  climate  of  Virginia  is  consid 
ered  healthy,  although  the  weather  is  very  changeable  and  in 
winter  seldom  cold  for  any  length  of  time.  The  summers  are 
very  hot  and  would  be  unbearable,  if  there  was  not  so  much  wind 
which  cools  the  air.  The  weather  since  our  arrival  is  considered 
extraordinarily  good,  and  everybody  says  that  it  never  was  like 
this  before.  The  month  of  January  ended  with  very  pleasant 
days,  and  almost  all  through  February  we  had  the  most  delightful 
spring  weather.  (This  month  is  generally  very  cold  with  plenty 
of  snow.)  I  saw  peach-trees  in  full  bloom  in  the  open  fields  dur- 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  157 

ing  February,  also  cherry  trees.  On  many  trees  the  leaves  are 
already  out  (March  i6th),  and  it  is  uncomfortably  warm  for 
walking.  If  cold  weather  should  set  in,  or  snow  fall,  as  every 
body  expects,  it  is  certain  that  the  branches  of  the  peach  trees 
will  not  break  this  year  from  too  heavy  a  load  of  fruit.  The 
beginning  of  spring  is  much  more  beautiful  here  than  in  New 
England,  where  spring  is  hardly  noticeable.  There  the  hot 
weather  commences  immediately  after  the  cold.  The  warm  days, 
which  are  so  delightful  here,  are  entirely  missing.  The  spring 
here  is  as  pleasant  as  it  ever  can  be  in  Germany. 

Although  there  are  not  many  mosquitos  in  the  upper  part 
of  Virginia  as  near  the  sea  shore,  we  are  much,  if  not  more, 
annoyed  by  another  kind  of  vermin.  This  is  an  insect  about  the 
shape,  color  and  size  of  a  bedbug,  which  is  found  in  the  woods. 
There  are  so  many  of  them,  that  it  is  impossible  to  escape  them. 
This  insect  digs  its  head  so  tight  into  the  skin,  that  the  head 
will  not  come  out  when  the  insect  is  removed.  Its  bite  is  hardly 
noticeable  at  first,  but  hurts  much  after  a  time.  These  insects 
trouble  us  a  great  deal,  but  we  are  told  that  during  July  and 
August  another  smaller  kind  appears,  which  is  much  worse.  One 
may  find  6000  to  8000  of  them  all  over  his  feet  and  legs  in  a  short 
time.  Their  bite  causes  the  feet  to  swell  at  once  and  hurts  con 
siderably.  The  only  preventative  is  fumigating  the  stockings  and 
trousers  with  tobacco  before  going  out. 

There  are  plenty  of  snakes,  the  bite  of  which  is  not  fatal 
except  that  of  the  rattle  snake.  This  snake  is,  however,  seldom 
found  near  houses. 

All  white  people  in  Virginia  live  in  great  style;  the  work 
is  done  entirely  by  the  slaves.  A  man  who  owns  even  a  small 
plantation  keeps  a  white  man  as  overseer.  His  duty  is  to  make 
the  slaves  work.  He  also  punishes  them  whenever  he  thinks  it 
necessary.  One  overseer  has  sometimes  100  and  more  slaves 
to  look  after.  The  slaves  seldom  get  anything  else  to  eat  than 
bread  made  of  corn.  They  prepare  this  bread  themselves,  baking 
it  on  an  iron  shovel  over  an  open  fire.  They  are  very  poorly 
clad,  almost  half  naked.  The  slaves  quarrel  a  good  deal  among 
themselves  in  spite  of  all  their  misery.  For  this  reason  not  more 


158  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

than  one  or  two  live  together.  It  is  necessary  to  threaten  them 
with  severe  punishment  for  not  keeping  peace.  Every  master 
has  the  right  to  sell  his  slaves  whenever  he  pleases.  Marriage 
cannot  be  legal  for  this  reason,  and  the  slaves  only  live  together 
as  man  and  wife.  As  soon  as  a  couple  has  made  up  their  minds 
on  this  point,  the  man  goes  to  his  master  to  tell  him  about  it. 
Permission  is  then  granted  for  building  a  hut.  Here  they  live 
together  as  long  as  they  like.  Sometimes  the  man  belongs  to  one 
master,  while  the  woman  is  owned  by  another.  The  children 
always  belong  to  the  master  of  the  mother,  and  he  can  sell  them 
if  he  likes.  Slavery  is  even  extended  to  illegitimate  children  who 
have  to  serve  as  slaves  for  21  years  before  they  are  free.  They 
are  sold  by  the  county  ship  for  this  length  of  time  for  the  benefit 
of  the  county. 

INDENTURED  SERVANTS. 

There  is  still  another  kind  of  slaves.  This  kind  is  made  up 
of  the  people  who  are  sold  to  the  ships  by  kidnappers  or  of  those 
who  sell  themselves  in  Europe  in  order  to  get  free  passage  to 
America.  These  are  sold  by  the  ship's  captains  at  their  arrival 
at  a  high  price  to  anyone  who  wants  them.  The  time  for  serving 
is  set  by  the  government  according  to  the  sum  paid,  sometimes 
4  or  5  years,  and  even  10  years  if  the  captain  had  asked  a  very 
high  price.  During  my  stay  here,  I  have  met  many  of  these 
people,  men  as  well  as  women,  who  had  not  served  out  their  time. 
They  are  generally  better  treated  than  the  negroes,  sometimes 
very  well.  If  they  behave  very  well,  it  happens  that  they  are  set 
at  liberty  before  their  time  is  up.  I  have  also  met  some  slaves, 
who  were  born  free  in  America,  but  were  sold  by  their  parents 
for  a  certain  number  of  years.  This  is  permitted  by  law.  The 
master  has  the  right  to  whip  and  punish  a  slave  as  much  as  he 
likes,  no  limit  is  fixed  by  the  law.  However,  the  master  will 
receive  severe  punishment  should  he  kill  a  slave  or  wound  him 
mortally.  He  may  even  be  imprisoned  for  life,  but  will  never 
be  condemned  to  death.  The  import  of  the  negroes  is  now  for 
bidden  by  law.  This  causes  the  prices  of  the  slaves  to  go  up. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  159 

A  healthy  strong  negro  of  about  30  years  old,  costs  from  1500. 
to  2000  pounds.  A  woman  of  the  same  age,  able  to  weave  or 
spin,  brings  the  same  price.  They  are  paid  for  in  proportion  to 
their  age  and  strength.  I  have  seen  a  free  girl,  6  years  old,  sold 
at  600  pounds.  At  the  sale  they  are  examined  by  the  purchaser 
exactly  like  cattle.  They  must  walk  up  and  down  for  him,  move 
their  limbs  and  do  everything  they  are  asked  to  do,  so  he  can 
see  if  they  are  capable  of  work.  It  is  terrible  to  see  these  slaves 
say  good-bye  to  their  comrades  and  relations,  sometimes  parents 
or  wives,  when  sold  to  a  master  living  in  another  province,  and 
when  there  is  no  prospect  of  seeing  their  dear  ones  again.  Young 
white  men  have  frequently  entered  into  relationship  with  black 
girls.  Their  children  are  called  mulattos.  They  are  mostly  well 
mannered  and  you  may  find  real  pretty  girls  among  them.  Some 
gentlemen  have  only  mulatto  slaves  on  their  plantation,  because 
they  are  brighter  and  better  mannered  than  the  real  negroes. 

The  free  men  in  Virginia  are  a  lazy  lot,  who  expect  their 
slaves  to  do  all  the  work  for  them.  The  lower  class  of  white 
people  is  very  grasping  and  apt  to  impose  upon  strangers.  The 
wealthy  and  educated  people  of  rank  (gentlemen)  are  almost  all 
reasonable  in  what  they  ask  and  hospitable  to  the  highest  degree 
towards  strangers.  Any  gentleman,  be  he  a  native  of  the 
country,  or  a  stranger,  known  to  them  or  not,  can  be  sure  of  a 
warm  reception  in  their  houses  as  a  guest  for  a  few  days,  without 
ever  being  asked  to  pay  the  smallest  amount.  The  master  of  the 
house  would  even  consider  the  offer  of  payment  an  insult.  In 
short,  a  Virginian  gentleman  is  a  sociable,  courteous,  good 
creature,  who  has  only  the  one  fault,  that  he  is  too  fond  of  gam 
bling.  It  is  best  never  to  join  him  at  cards,  especially,  as  he  never 
plays  for  a  small  stake.  Sometimes  the  amount  gained  in  a  short 
time  is  as  much  as  2000  to  3000  rth.  There  are  few  men  who 
manage  their  own  estates.  This  work  is  left  to  their  overseers, 
who  generally  take  advantage  of  this  fact  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  are  able  to  buy  a  plantation  after  a  while,  thus  becoming 
gentlemen  themselves.  All  those,  who  look  after  the  management 
of  their  own  plantations  and  are  besides  economical,  become  rich 


160  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

men,  if  they  are  not  rich  to  begin  with.  All  an  owner  of  a  planta 
tion  has  to  do  to  get  rich,  is  to  look  after  the  work  himself.  The 
women  are  a  great  deal  more  industrious.  A  gentleman's  wife 
considers  it  highly  honorable  to  do  some  of  the  work  herself.  She 
sees  to  it  that  all  clothes  for  the  family  are  made  at  home  by  the 
negroes.  This  can  be  done  very  easily,  as  cotton  goods  are  very 
suitable  for  fall  and  spring  wear.  Cotton  is  just  as  easily  woven 
as  linen.  Sometimes  hemp  and  cotton  are  woven  together.  This 
makes  a  warm  material  for  winter. 

Since  the  war  commenced  much  more  is  paid  for  weaving 
than  formerly.  The  price  for  a  negro,  who  can  weave  well,  has 
gone  up  considerably.  Even  ticking  is  woven  now  in  pretty  pat 
terns.  It  is  considered  a  thing  to  be  ashamed  of,  if  not  all  cotton 
and  linen  goods  needed  in  the  house  are  woven  at  home.  Although 
much  cotton  cloth  is  manufactured  it  is  very  high  in  price.  The 
women  here  deserve  to  be  highly  respected  for  their  industrious 
tendencies.  They  are  quite  the  opposite  of  those  in  New  Eng 
land,  and  although  not  as  pretty  as  those,  as  a  rule,  they  are  much 
more  polite,  and  better  mannered,  also  more  courteous  towards 
strangers. 

Although  this  report  of  our  march  to  Virginia  is  rather  short, 
it  will  serve  to  show  how  it  was  accomplished.  I  did  not  write 
more  fully,  because,  in  the  first  place,  the  letter  would  have  been 
very  thick  and  might  for  that  reason  have  missed  its  destination. 
In  the  second  place,  I  have  not  had  time  to  arrange  the  notes  of 
my  diary  drawn  up  in  a  hurry  to  provide  a  more  interesting  report 

Charlotteville,  Virginia,  March  16,  1779. 


Richmond,  March  7,  1779. 

In  regard  to  the  particularly  good  weather  during  February, 
I  wish  to  add  that  the  same  changed  suddenly.  We  had  some  hard 
frost  at  night  in  April,  which  ruined  all  the  fruit.  After  that, 
the  weather  became  warm  again,  and  the  trees  have  all  their 
foliage  now.  The  days  were  often  as  hot  as  in  July  at  home,  but 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  161 

towards  the  end  of  April  it  turned  cold  again.  The  leaves  of 
many  trees,  and  in  fact  the  whole  trees  were  frozen.  Green  peas, 
strawberries,  all  fruits,  cabbage  and  green  vegetables,  are  dead. 
This  cold  spell  did  not,  however,  include  the  whole  province,  but 
covered  about  twenty  miles  in  the  direction  of  Williamsburg. 
Some  of  the  higher  situated  plantations  near  Charlotteville  were 
not  touched  in  the  same  degree.  We  have  now  nice  warm  weather. 
It  is,  however,  very  dry  and  nothing  will  grow  in  the  gardens. 

Richmond,  where  I  am  at  present,  is  a  pretty  little  town  of 
about  100  houses,  most  of  which  are  stores.  The  chief  article 
of  trade  is  tobacco,  brought  here  from  all  parts  of  the  province. 
From  here  it  is  shipped  down  the  St.  James  River  to  the  sea.  On 
account  of  the  late  disturbances,  not  many  shipments  are  made 
at  present  and  an  astonishing  amount  of  tobacco  is  stored  here.  I 
believe  there  are  more  than  10,000  to  12,000  large  barrels  of  it 
ready  for  shipment,  each  of  which  contains  10,000  to  15,000 
pounds  of  tobacco.  The  price  is  at  present  50  to  60  £  paper 
money,  sometimes  i  guinea  and  5-6  shillings  gold  per  100  pounds. 
That  is  for  the  best  quality.  Richmond  is  situated  in  the  most 
beautiful  country  you  can  imagine,  on  the  St.  James  River  near 
the  fall,  which  is,  however,  not  very  high.  For  6  miles  up,  near 
Charlotteville,  the  water  runs  over  rocks  with  great  noise.  It  is 
impossible  for  even  a  canoe  to  go  up  stream.  Below  the  fall  the 
river  is  navigable  for  big  canoes,  holding  about  3-4  tons  of 
tobacco. 

The  country  here  is  flat  toward  the  sea  and  well  cultivated. 
There  are  many  beautiful  plantations  and  fine  houses,  the  owners 
of  which  are  all  wealthy  people.  Willliamsburg,  where  I  intend 
to  go  for  a  few  days,  is  60  miles  from  here.  The  governor  lives 
there  and  the  council  of  the  province  assembles  there  at  this 
time  of  the  year.  Two-masted  vessels  can  go  up  the  river  as  far 
as  Richmond.  There  are  no  rocks  and  cliffs  up  to  this  place. 
Bigger  vessels  can  come  up  as  far  as  20  miles  from  here,  which 
fact  makes  this  city  very  well  suited  for  business  transactions. 
The  trade,  however,  does  not  amount  to  much,  because  the  im 
ports  and  exports  of  goods  are  very  few. 


1 62  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

[ADDITIONAL  MATTER]* 

Ticonderoga,  July  I2the  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Peter.     C.  S. :  Fort  Miller. 
By  Brigad,  Gen.  Hamilton. 

Six  of  the  Artillery  at  Mount  Independance  are  to  mount 
dayly  with  the  62d  Regim.  et  one  of  the  six  detached  to  the  three 
Gun  battery. 

The  62d  Regiment  et  Prince  Fredericks  will  prepare  three 
rounds  p.  man  of  practice  cartridge  for  the  number  they  will 
have  under  Arms  to-morrow  evening. 

Mr.  Commissary  Clarcke  will  appoint  a  Commissary  solely 
for  giving  Provisions  to  the  Troops,  Hospital  and  Prisoners  at 
Mount  Independance. 

The  Prisoners  are  not  to  be  tacken  out  to  work  on  that  side 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  Captain  for  the  day  and  then  a 
certain  proportion  to  be  left  at  home  to  cook  for  the  rest— 

Mr.  Commissary  Clarcke  will  also  appoint  a  Commissary  for 
the  Ticonderoga  side,  who  will  also  victual  the  Prisoners. 

A  number  of  horses  will  set  out  for  the  Army  at  Skenes- 
borough  to-morrow  morning  at  Daybreak — an  Escort  of  a  Cap 
tain,  Two  Subalterns  and  a  hundred  men  with  Arms  must  go  with 
them  to  Huberton,  where  the  late  action  happened,  a  like  Escort 
from  the  Germans  will  be  ready  there,  to  receive  them  and  then 
the  Ticonderoga  one  to  return. 

Detail  for  the  Escort: 

62d  Regim :    I  Capit.     I  Sub.    2  Serg.     2  Corp.     I  Drum.    46  Priv. 

Pr.    Frederick    Reg....  I     "       2    "        2     "         i      "         54    " 

I  Capit.    2  Sub.    4  Serg.    4  Corp.    2  Dr.        100  Priv. 
Kickmann,  M.  Br. 

Note :  The  Escort  to  take  three  days  Provisions  with  them. 
That  part  of  the  Escort  from  Prince  Fredericks  Regiment  to  be 
at  the  Sergeants  Guard  in  the  Lines  on  the  other  side  of  the 
bridge,  by  day  break  in  the  morning  and  the  horses  will  go  over 
at  that  time. 

*What  follows  is  printed  as  it  stands  in  the  manuscript  with  the  faulty 
English  intact.  The  Tables  which  precede  this  in  the  MS.  have  been  placed 
at  the  end  of  the  Journal. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  163 

Camp  at  Skenesborough  House,  July  lothe,  1777. 
Ordres  Parole :  St.  Eustace.    C.  S. :  Falmouth. 

Picquet,  British  Field  Officer,  Major  Forster. 

On  the  6th  of  July  the  Ennemy  were  dislodged  from  Ticon- 
deroga  by  the  meer  countenance  and  activity  of  the  Army  and 
driven  on  the  same  day  beyond  Skenesborough  house  on  the 
Right,  and  to  Huberton  on  the  Left,  with  the  Loss  of  all  their 
Artillerie,  Five  of  their  armed  Vessels  taken  and  blown  up  by  the 
spirited  conduct  of  Captain  Carterof  from  the  Artillery  with  a 
part  of  his  brigade  of  Gun  boats  a  very  great  quantity  of  ammuni 
tion,  provision  and  stores  of  all  sortes  and  the  greatest  part  of 
their  Bagage. 

On  the  7th,  Brigadier  General  Eraser  at  the  head  of  a  little 
more  than  half  the  Advanced  Corps  and  without  Artillery  (which 
with  the  utmost  endavours  it  was  impossible  to  get  up)  came  up 
with  near  Two  thousand  of  the  Ennemy  strongly  posted,  attacked 
and  defeated  them  with  the  loss  on  the  Ennemy 's  part  of  many  of 
their  principal  Officers,  Two  hundred  men  killed  on  the  spot,  and 
a  much  greater  number  wounded  and  about  Two  hundred  made 
prisoners. 

Major  General  Riedesel  with  his  advanced  guard  consist 
ing  of  the  Chasseurs  Company  and  80  Granadiers  and  light  In- 
fantery  arrived  in  time  to  sustain  Genl.  Fraser  and  by  his  judi 
cious  orders  and  a  spirited  execution  of  them  obtained  a  share  for 
himself  and  for  his  troops  in  the  Glory  of  the  Action. 

On  the  8th,  Lt.  Colonel  Hill  at  the  head  of  the  ninth  Regi 
ment  was  attacked  near  Fort  Anne  by  more  then  six  times  his 
number  and  repulsed  the  Ennemy  with  great  Loss  after  a  con 
tinued  fire  of  three  hours. 

The  consequence  of  this  action  Fort  Anne  was  burned  and 
abandoned  and  a  party  of  this  Army  is  in  possession  of  the 
Country  on  the  other  side. 

These  rapid  successes  after  exciting  a  proper  sense  of  what 
we  owe  to  God,  entitle  the  troops  in  general  to  the  warmest 
praise;  and  in  particular  distinction  is  due  Brigadier  General 
Fraser,  who  by  his  conduct  and  bravery  supported  by  the  same 


164  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

qualities  in  the  Officers  and  Soldiers  under  his  command  effected 
an  exploit  of  material  Service  to  the  King,  and  of  signal  honor  to 
the  profession  of  Anns. 

This  Corps  have  the  further  merit  of  having  supported 
fatigue  and  bad  weather  without  bread  and  without  murmur. 

Divine  Service  will  be  performed  on  Sunday  morning  next 
at  the  head  of  the  Line  ad  at  the  head  of  the  advanced  Corps 
and  at  Sun  set  on  the  same  day  a  feu  de  joye  will  be  fired  with 
Cannon  and  small  arms  at  Ticonderoga  Crownpoint  and  at  the 
Camp  at  Castleton  and  the  post  of  Breymanns  Corps. 

These  orders  will  be  read  to  every  battallion  by  the  com 
manding  Officers. 

Major  General  Riedesel  will  have  them  conveyed  to  the  de 
tached  post  of  the  Left  Wing  and  Brigader  General  Hamilton 
will  have  them  conveyed  to  Crownpoint. 

A  Return  to  be  sent  to  Head-Quarters  this  afternoon  of  what 
wounded  officers  and  men  are  in  a  condition  to  be  moved  to  the 
Hospital  at  Ticonderoga. 

The  General  Officers  will  send  an  account  to  Mr.  Rousseau 
Commissary  of  the  Staff  of  the  number  of  Rations  they  chuse 
to  be  daily  supplied  with. 

Those  regiments  that  have  Volonteers  serving  with  them, 
will  send  in  a  List  of  those  Gentlemens  names  this  afternoon  to 
the  Dep.  Adj.  Gen.  mentioning  when  they  joined,  and  by  whom 
recommended. 

Ticonderoga,  July  nth,  1777. 

Brigadier  Hamilton  desires  Major  Williams  of  the  Artillery 
will  give  necessary  directions  with  regard  to  the  Cannon,  to  be 

fired  on  Sunday  evening. 

Kickmann,  M.  Br. 

Ticonderoga,  July  nth,  1777. 

No  Bullocks  to  be  killed  at  Mount  Independance  or  Ticon 
deroga  without  particular  orders  from  the  Commissary  General. 

Kickmann,  M.  Br. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  165 

Ticonderoga,  July  I3th,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Paul.    C.  S. :  Atheni. 

Capt.  Jones  of  the  Artillery  will  have  every  thing  prepared 
and  his  men  so  stationed  as  to  fire  three  round's  from  every  guns 
on  Mount  Independance  et  Ticonderoga,  that  are  not  spilled  on 
hou(r)  before  Sunset  this  evening. 

The  62the  Reg.  will  be  drawn  out  on  the  Hill,  on  the  Ticon 
deroga  side  of  the  Barracks  and  when  one  round  of  the  Guns  has 
fired,  the  62the  will  fire  once,  that  is  a  running  fire  from  right  to 
left,  it  will  then  be  answered  by  the  Regiment  of  Prince  Frede 
rick  and  so  alternatly  with  great  and  small  Arms  till  each  has 

fired  three  round's. 

Kickmann,  M.  Br. 


Ticonderoga,  July  I4the  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Patrick.    C.  S. :  Dublin. 

The  Abbates  round  the  different  works  at  Mount  Indepen 
dance  and  Ticonderoga,  are  by  no  means  to  be  distroyed,  or  made 
use  of  as  firewood.  The  Former  orders  with  regard  to  collecting 
the  Military  Stores  at  both  posts,  to  be  strictly  complied  with, 
and  compleated  so  soon  as  possible.  Orderly  hour  to  be  at 
Eleven  a  Clock,  at  the  Brigade  Majors  Quarters,  when  the  Adju 
tants  and  will  attend. 

Kickmann,  M.  Br. 

Ticonderoga,  July  1/j.the  1777. 

Spruce  beer  will  be  issued  to  the  Two  Regiments  every  morn 
ing  at  eight  a  Clock.  The  allowance  is  a  quart  for  every  Officer 
and  Man  on  the  Spot  and  a  Receipt  given  by  the  Quarter  Masters. 

Kickmann,  M.  Br. 

Nota:  Spruce  beer  man  just  below  the  Brigade  Majors 
Quarters. 


1 66  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Ticonderoga,  July  I5the,  1777. 
Parole :  Bourgoyne.    C.  S. :  Skenesborough. 

Orders 

by  Brigadier  General  Hamilton  in  consequence  of  those  received 
from  General  Philips. 

4  Company's  of  the  62the  and  2l/2  Company's  of  Prince 
Fredericks  Regiment  are  to  move  in  their  Batteaux  to  morrow- 
morning  at  6  a  Clock  to  the  Bridge  near  the  Saw  Mills,  with 
Camp-Bagage  etc. 

Lt.  Colonel  Amstruther  is  to  tacke  the  Command  of  that 
part  of  the  Regiments  that  advances  and  to  aid  as  much  as  lyes  in 
his  power  the  transport  of  all  Kind's.  Major  of  Brigade  Kick- 
mann  will  Shew  the  ground  where  the  Company's  of  the  62the 
and  Prince  Fredericks  are  to  encamp. 

The  remainer  of  Prince  Fredericks  will  occupy  the  heights 
on  the  Lines,  neared  the  Captains  post  formerly  planted. 

The  Detail  of  the  Guard's  of  the  Company's  of  the  Two 
Regiments  that  remain  are  as  follows: 

Ticonderoga. 

Off.      Serg.      Capor.     Drumer.          Privates. 

Fort    i            2             2  I                      24 

Redoubt I              I  15 

Batteaux   i  6 

by  General  Philips 6 


I  Off.    3  Serg.    4  Corp.     i  Drummer    51  Pr. 

Mount  Independance. 

Off.      Serg.      Capor.  Drumer.          Privates. 

Advance    i             i             2  i                      15 

Barrack  i              I  12 

Redoubt i              i  9 

Batteaux  i  6 

Provisions  i  3 


I  Off.    3  Serg.    6  Corp.     i  Drummer    45  Pr. 

Ticonderoga,  July  i6the,  1777. 
Parole :  Hubberton.    Countre  Sign :  Fort  Anne. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  167 

Ticonderoga,  July  i6the  1777. 
Parole:  Hubberton.     Countre  Sign:  Fort  Anne. 

The  Captain  for  the  day  to  be  discontinued. 

The  Officer  of  the  Fort-Guard  at  Ticonderoga  do  Report  to 
the  Brigadier. 

Ticonderoga,  July  19,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Barbara.     C.  S. :  Bland  Ford. 

Major  General  Phillips  orders  the  Artillery,  62the  Regim. 
and  the  Regiment  of  Prince  Friederick,  to  send  Returns  directly 
of  what  Cattle  they  have,  and  how  they  got  them,  as  also,  of  what 
number  of  Cattle  each  Regiment  has  killed  since  they  have  been 
at  this  Fort,  exclusive  of  the  Provisions  delivered  to  them  by  the 
Commissariat. 

The  Commissary  General  to  send  in  a  return  of  what  fresh 
provisions  have  been  delivered  at  this  post  to  the  Artillery,  the 
two  Regiments  and  the  Hospital. 

Three  longboats  arrived  yesterday  with  Rice  and  Oatmeal 
and  other  Provision  Stores,  which  have  been  unloaded  without 
orders  and  no  Receipts  given  by  any  persons  for  the  delivery. 

The  Brigadier  General  will  endavour  to  find  out  whence  this 
has  arrose  and  report  upon  it. 

The  commanding  Engineer  will  take  such  draft  Oxen  as 
are  necessary  for  the  Service  and  will  keep  them  under  a  proper 
guard — all  others  to  be  deliverd  to  the  Commissary  General  for 
the  use  of  the  Troops — and  it  is  to  be  understood  that  no  particu 
lar  Regiment  has  a  right  to  save  and  keep  Cattle,  as  it  is  intended 
to  make  an  equal  distribution  throughout  the  Army,  of  all  fresh 
Provisions  that  can  to  be  obtaind. 

The  Physicien  General  to  send  proper  persons  to  visit  the 
Prisoners,  and  any  who  are  found  ill  are  to  be  immediately  taken 
of — Report  to  be  made  of  any  to  whome  it  may  be  necessary  to 
give  fresh  provisions. 

The  Major  of  Brigade  will  take  care,  that  the  Orders  are 
distributed  to  the  Artillery,  the  Hospital,  the  other  Corps  and 
the  Commissariat.  It  being  reported  to  Major  General  Phillips 


1 68  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

that  the  Duty  is  too  severe  for  the  present  Garrison  at  Ticonde- 
roga  and  Mount  Independence.  Brigadier  Hamilton  is  author 
ised  to  order  a  Company  of  the  62the  Regim.  and  half  a  one  of 
the  Regiment  of  Prince  Friederick  to  Return  and  do  duty  in  those 
Garrisons. — 

By  Brigadier  Hamilton — 

The  Company  of  the  62the  Regim.  and  the  half  Company 
of  Prince  Friedericks  to  return  to  these  Garrisons  at  six  o  Clock 
this  evening. 

The  Prisoners  are  be  no  means  to  be  struck  or  ill  treated, 
by  any  person  whatever. 

Orderly  hour  at  the  Major  of  Brigade  Quarters,  at  Eleven  o 
Clock  in  the  morning. 

Kickmann,  Brig-  Maj. 

Ticonderoga,  July  2Othe,  1777. 
Gen.  Ord.  By  Maj.  Gener.  Phillips. — 
Parole :  St.  Timothy.     C.  S. :  Sarum. 

Return  to  be  given  in  this  evening  to  Brigadier  General 
Hamilton,  by  the  Regiments  and  by  each  Department  of  the 
number  of  their  effectivs  in  order  that  a  Distribution  of  fresh 
Provisions  may  be  made. 

By  Brigadier  Hamilton— 

Any  horses  that  are  in  possession  of  the  62the  Regim.  and 
Prince  Fredericks,  purchased  near  this  and  claimed  by  the  in 
habitants  on  proveing  the  propriety  most  be  delivered  of. 

Ticonderoga,  July  21  the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Cecilia.     C.  S. :  Marlborough. 

Head  Qr.  Skenesborough-house,  July  i8th,  1777. 

Each  Brigade  to  send  to  the  Adj.  Gener.  the  names  of  their 
Dellys(  ?)  Suttlers  and  others  followers  and  Servants. 

All  persons  desirous  of  etablishing  huts  or  tents  on  the  Rear 
of  the  Army,  for  the  Sale  of  usefull  commodities,  are  to  apply 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  169 

to  the  Adjud.  General  in  order  that  their  character  of  the  natire 
of  their  traffish  may  be  enquired  into and  any  persons  pre 
suming  to  traffish  with  the  Troops  without  a  proper  permit  in 
writing  or  who  shall  abuse  such  permit  by  retailing  liquors  to 
Soldiers  or  Indians  will  be  punished  with  Severity. 

The  disturbance  of  the  16  inst.  between  some  British  and 
German  Soldiers  was  occasioned  by  liquor  and  one  of  the  great 
est  principale  of  Military  Orders  was  so  far  forgot  by  some 
British  Soldiers,  that  a  Guard  was  insulted. 

Any  conduct  for  the  future  whether  of  the  British  or  Ger 
man  that  shall  tend  to  obstruct  the  harmony,  which  has  hithertoo 
so  happily  reigned  between  the  Two  Nations,  and  which  must 
continual  subsist  among  brave  Troops,  serving  in  the  same  cause, 
unless  violated  by  intoxication  or  misapprehension,  will  be  pun 
ished  as  a  Crime  the  most  fatal  to  the  Succass  of  honor  of  the 
Campaign. 

A  Captains  Guard  with  the  Colours  of  the  eldest  Regiment 
to  mount  to  morrow  upon  the  Congress  with  the  Indians  Nations. 

The  Inspector  of  the  Hospital  having  represented  that  Two 
Women  from  each  Regiment  of  the  Army  will  be  absolutely 
necessary  to  take  care  of  the  Sick  and  wounded,  the  Command 
ing  Officers  of  Corps,  will  give  their  directions  accordingly. 

Ticonderoga,  July  22the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Clement.    C.  S. :  Calne. 
By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

All  Officers,  non  Commissioned  Officers  and  Soldiers  ordered 
on  Detachment,  are  litterally  to  obey  the  Commanding  Officer 
of  the  Detachements  Orders;  and  when  men  are  taken  sick  or 
lame  on  a  march  the  Officer  or  non  Commissioned  Officer  of  the 
Troops  those  men  belong  to,  is  to  acquaint  the  commanding  Officer 
with  the  Situation  of  the  mens  not  able  to  march  with  the  De- 
tachement,  who  will  leave  a  number  of  well  men  sufficient  to  take 
care  of  them,  who  be  easy  marches  are  to  regain  their  Corps  with 
all  possible  dispatch. 


170  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Ticonderoga,  July  23,  1777. 
Paroles  :  St.  Bridget  et  Chippenham. 

Orders  By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

No  Fires  to  be  made  at  the  Saw  Mills,  or  at  the  Landing  at 
Lake  George,  except  for  cooking  as  setting  fire  to  the  stumps  and 
the  woods  —  startle  the  horses  much  (?)  in  passing  and  repass- 


Fourteen  horses  and  seven  drivers,  with  Provisions  for  the 
wounds  at  Hubberton,  will  set  out  to  morrow  morning  at  4  o 
Clock  —  from  the  62the  Barracks  at  Mount  Independence  —  an 
Escort  of  a  Corporal  and  Six  men,  to  be  there  at  that  hour. 

Detail. 

Corporal  Privates 
62the  Regiment   ............      i  3 

Prince  Friederick  ...........  3 


Ticonderoga,  July  24the,  1 777. 
Parole :  St.  Justin.     C.  S. :  Frome. 

The  Troops  here  to  receive  Provisions  to  morrow  morning 
from  the  Commissary  General,  to  the  28the  inclusive — and  it  is 
strictly  enjoined  that  none  but  the  effectivs  are  drawn  for — Mr. 
Price  will  draw  for  the  Canadians — Mr.  Fletcher  for  the  horse 
department — as  Commissary  General  Clarcke  will  take  care  to 
victual  the  Prisoners. 

Brig.  General  Hamilton  will  arange  every  thing  necessary 
for  the  half  of  Prince  Friedericks  Regiment  taking  Possession 
of  Mount  Independence  (leaving  however  such  a  small  detache- 
ment  of  the  62the  Regim.  as  he  may  think  necessary  in  charge  of 
the  Hospital)  when  the  five  Company's  of  the  62the  Regiment 
will  move  to  the  carrying  place  of  Lake  George  this  movement 
to  take  place  on  the  26the  as  early  as  possible  in  the  morning. 

The  Brigadier  will  give  the  necessary  orders  to  the  Regiment 
of  Prince  Friederick  to  camp  on  the  Transport  to  the  Portage  as 
usual. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  171 

Order  By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

The  Detachement  of  the  62the  Regiment  left  with  the  Gen 
eral  Hospital — to  be — 

i  Sub:  I  Serg.  i  Corpor.  i  Drummer  20  Privates 

Ticonderoga,  July  25the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Rosalind.    C.  S. :  Canterbury. 

Gen.  Orders  by  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips. 

The  proper  Officer  of  the  Hospital  will  send  to  the  Commis 
sary  General  every  day  at  4  6  Clock,  a  Return  of  the  Quantity 
of  Provisions  the  Hospital  will  require  for  the  following  day, 
in  order  that  the  Cattle  may  be  killed  quietly  and  the  meat  time 
to  cool. 

Being  found  very  inconvenient  to  deliver  Provisions  in  the 
evening,  the  Purveyors  Clarks  will  send  for  it  at  5  a  Clock  in 
the  morning.  From  the  present  scarscity  of  Cattle  it  will  be  im 
possible  to  issue  fresh  Provisions  to  all  the  Hospital,  it  will 
therefore  be  proper  to  divide  the  Sick  into  classes,  and  in  the 
Return  sent  to  the  Commissary  to  mark  the  number  for  whome 
it  will  be  necessary  to  provide  fresh  provisions  every  day.  When 
ever  the  Cattle  arrives  which  is  expected  the  whole  Hospital  shall 
be  provided  with  fresh  provisions. 

Brigadier  Hamilton  will  give  orders  for  the  Batteaux  on 
Lake  George  being  loaded  with  Provisions,  in  the  doing  which 
care  is  to  be  taken,  that  the  Batteaux  are  loaded  according  to  their 
size,  and  it  is  intended  to  send  Five  men  with  their  baggage  etc.  in 
each  Batteaux.  It  is  meant  that  all  the  Batteaux  on  Lake  George 
should  be  loaded  with  Provisions  and  every  other  Craft  which 
may  be  on  the  Lake,  and  which  may  not  be  employed,  for  the 
carrying  Artillerie  or  Stores.  Capt.  Schank  the  Commissioner  of 
the  Navy  will  superintend  this  business  under  the  Brigadiers 
Orders. 

Should  be  the  62the  Regiment  be  ordered  to  embark  sud 
denly,  it  will  leave  a  Detachment  of  a  Captain  2  Subalt.  and  50 
men  as  a  Guard  upon  the  Landing  place  at  Lake  George,  who  are 


172  Journal  of  Dit  Roi  the  Elder 

to  have  charge,  also,  of  the  Canadians  upon  Corvees,  who  will 
be  left  to  work  there. 

By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

The  Five  Company's  of  the  62the  Regiment  are  to  march  to 
morrow-morning  to  5  6  Clock,  and  encamp  with  the  Three  Com 
panies  already  advanced — the  Quarter  Master  will  make  out  the 
ground  this  day.  They  will  send  this  afternoon  to  the  Commis 
sary  General  for  six  Batteaux,  in  which  the  baggage  is  to  be 
loaded  this  evening  and  unloaded  the  moment  they  come  to  the 
Saw  Mill,  that  Prince  Friedericks  Regiment  may  have  them  to 
return  with  their  baggage.  The  Two  Companies  of  Prince  Fred 
ericks  now  at  the  Portage,  to  move  as  soon  as  possible  after  the 
62the  arrives  to  Mount  Independence  where  the  Stores  etc.  will 
be  delivered  to  them  by  an  Officer  of  the  62the  Regiment,  whose 
present  Guard's  are  to  continue  till  releivd  by  the  Regiment  of 
Prince  Friederick. 

The  Subaltern  Officer  left  with  the  General  Hospital  Guard 
of  the  62the  Regiment  will  also  superintend  the  convalescents. 

Ticonderoga,  July  26the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Mathew.     C.  S. :  Winburn. 

General  Orders  by  Gen.  Phillips. 

Captain  Monin  Company  of  Canadians  will  the  Artillerie  and 
a  Detachement  of  one  hundred  Men  of  the  62the  Regiment  with 
proper  Officers,  the  whole  under  the  Command  of  Lt.  Colonel 
Amstruther  are  to  embark  this  afternoon  at  4  o  Clock  and  pro 
ceed  accross  Lake  George,  so  as  the  be  at  the  head  of  the  Lake 
as  early  to  morrow  as  possible. 

Lt.  Colonel  Amstruther  will  receive  his  Instructions  and 
orders  from  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips  as  many  Batteaux  loaden  with 
provisions  as  can  be  taken  over  Lake  George  are,  also,  to  go  this 
afternoon. 

Mr.  Commissioner  Shanck  will  give  his  directions  that  every 
thing  proceed  forwards  in  his  department,  taking  care  proper 
Persons  are  left  upon  the  carrying  Place  at  Lake  George  to  aid 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  173 

the  Transport  and  Batteaux,  which  will  be  send  from  the  Army— 
the  Commanding  Engineer  will  proceed  to  Morrow-morning 
very  early  across  Lake  George  and  will  send  such  persons  in  his 
Department  with  intrenching  tools  and  every  thing  necessary  to 
form  an  immediate  Etablishment  on  the  other  Side  of  the  Lake 
and  a  Post  for  the  defence  of  it. 

A  detachment  of  Two  hundred  Man  composed  of  Sixty  Man 
of  the  62the  Regt.  and  one  hundred  and  forty  from  the  Regi 
ment  of  Prince  Frederick  with  proper  officer  and  to  be  com 
manded  by  a  Field  Officer  to  march  to  Morrow-morning  at  Four 
a  Clock  to  Hubberton  to  remove  the  Hospital  and  Wounded  Men 
from  thence  to  the  General  Hospital  at  Mount  Independence  one 
third  of  this  Detachment  only  will  be  armed  as  the  rest  will  be 
employed  in  carrying  the  Wounded  Men  upon  Biers.  Maj. 
Hughes  will  furnish  fifty  horses  for  this  service — Provisions 
must  be  taken  for  four  days  and  Brigadier  General  Hamilton  will 
given  the  Instruction  and  orders  relative  to  the  removal  of  the 
Hospital. 

Continuatio  d.  26ten  July,  '77. 

The  troops  which  across  Lake  George  are  to  be  provided 
with  Provisions  to  the  31  the  inst.  inclusive  as  are,  also,  the 
Troops  at  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence. 

A  Detachment  of  Artillerie  will  be  left  upon  this  post  and 
order  are  to  be  given  by  the  Brigadier  that  all  the  Artillery,  Shot 
and  Shells  be  collected  near  the  Wharf  at  Ticonderoga  and  on 
the  Ground  by  the  lower  Line  on  the  North  Side  of  Mount  In 
dependence,  excepting  such  serviceable  Species  of  Artillery,  which 
it  may  be  necessary  to  keep  in  Battery  for  the  defence  of  the  Post. 

Commodore  Lotwidge  will  be  applied  to,  to  station  an  armed 
Vessel  to  the  South  of  Mount  Independence,  to  defend  the  pas 
sage  of  the  low  Ground  and  the  Road  leading  from  thence. 

Four  armd  boats  will,  also,  be  stationed  near  the  Creek  run 
ning  into  the  Lake  Champlain  on  the  North  Side  as  a  defence 

on  that  Quarter. 

Charles  Green, 


174  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Aid  de  Camp  to  M.  G.  Phillips. 
Orders  by  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

Detail  for  the  Party  to  Hubberton  under  the  Command  of 
Major  von  Hille  of  Prince  Friedericks  Regiment. 

Without  Arms  With  Arms 

Cap.   Sub.   Sergr.   Corp.   Dr.  Pr.  Cap.  Sub.   Sergr.   Corp.   Dr.  Pr. 

62the   Regrim.         1.111  40  .1111  20 

Prince  Frederick           1221  94  11111  46 

11          3          3          2        134  ~T~2~~2~2~2          66 

1       2          2          2          2          66 

Total  2        3       ~5          6       ~4        200 

The  above  Detachment  is  to  assemble  to  morrow  morning  at 
5  a  Clock  by  the  Encampment  of  Prince  Friedericks  Regiment  on 
Mount  Independance,  with  Four  days  Provisions  and  Five  tents 
from  each  Regiment  to  cover  the  wounded. 

Major  von  Hille  will  acquaint  Maj.  General  Riedesel  the  Day 
and  hour  he  intends  to  move  from  Hubberton,  which  is  to  be  as 
soon  as  possible  after  his  arrival  there,  it  being  expected  that  by 
to  morrow  evening  every  thing  will  be  in  readiness. — The  Com 
missary  will  send  by  the  horses  two  days  bread  for  the  wounded 
at  Hubberton 

Maj.  Hughes  will  order  proper  conductors,  with  the  same 
number  of  days  Provisions  and  forage  for  the  men  and  horses 
who  are  punctually  to  attend  where  the  Detachment  is  to  parade 
to  morrow-morning 

It  is  particularly  recommended  to  Major  von  Hille  that  he 

keeps  the  strictest  order that  the  wounded  be  used  with  the 

greatest  tenderness  and  not  pushed  to  march  beyond  their 

strength and  to  endeavour  as  much  as  possible  to  halt  near 

Water 

Wine  and  necessary  ravishment  is  to  be  sent  from  the  Hos 
pital  in  such  quantity  as  are  judged  necessary  for  the  March 

Kickmann,  M.  B. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  175 

Ticonderoga  July  27the  1777 

Paroles :  St.  Geoffry.     C.  S. :  Sherborn. 
July  28the  St.  Barnard  Biddeford 

"     29  "    St.  Edward  Exmouth 

"     30  "    St.  Gervas  Newcastle 

"     31  "    St.  Basil  Lyeno 

Ticonderoga,  July  28the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Barnard.    C.  S. :  Biddeford. 

Gen.  Ord.  by  Maj.  Gen.  Phillips. 

It  is  necessary  that  a  Survey  be  taken  upon  the  Provisions 
left  at  this  Post,  by  the  Rebels. 

Brigad.  Gen.  Hamilton  to  give  the  proper  directions  thereon, 
and  report  upon  it  so  soon  as  possible  in  the  mean  time,  should 
any  of  the  damaged  provisions  be  likely  to  cause  sickness  in  the 
Camp  it  must  be  distroyed  either  by  burning,  burying,  or  throw 
ing  it  from  Batteaux  into  the  middle  of  the  stream. 

Brig.  Gen.  Hamilton  is  left  in  Command  of  this  important 
post  untill  farther  Orders  and  will  take  every  means  for  securing 
the  Post  and  also  forwarding  the  Transport  of  the  Army  over 
Lake  George. 

The  Brigadier  will  if  he  sees  necessary  remove  the  whole  of 
the  Regiment  of  Prince  Friederick  to  Mount  Independence,  but 
in  that  case  a  Captains  Guard  must  mount  at  the  Fort  of  Ticon 
deroga. 

The  Artillery  will  also  encamp  on  the  Mount  and  the  Brig 
adier  will  order  such  Artillery  to  be  in  Battery,  as  he  may  see 
necessary. 

The  Brigadier  will  communicate  with  and  consult  with  the 
Commodore  for  such  arrangement  of  the  Naval  Department  a 
float  as  may  send  to  securing  the  Post  and  aiding  the  Transport. 

Mr.  Commissioner  Shank  will  for  some  days  be  on  the  car 
rying  place,  to  assist  the  transport  into  Lake  George. 

Lt.  St.  Eloy,  has  charge  of  all  the  Batteaux  and  to  whome 
orders  must  be  given  for  delivery  of  such  as  are  required  for  any 
particular  Service. 


176  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Lieut.  Price  has  charge  of  all  the  Canadians  Corvees.  Lt. 
Fletcher  is  assistant  commissionary  of  horses  and  has  the  muster 
ing  and  foraging  the  horses  belonging  to  the  Army. 

Maj.  Hughes  is  Agent  for  the  Contractor  for  the  Carts  and 
horses  for  the  Provision  Train. 

Mr.  Handfield  has  charge  of  several  Stores,  but  is  to  be  an 
swerable  to  Lt.  St.  Eloy  for  what  Batteaux  he  has  and  to  Lt. 
Price  for  the  Canadians  he  employed. 

Particular  orders  are  to  be  given  concerning  all  detachments 
from  the  Army  which  may  be  stationed  on  the  carrying  place, 
where  they  may  be  use  full  and  also,  ready  to  cross  Lake  George 
when  orderd. 

The  Prisoners  to  be  musterd  and  the  numbers  and  names  of 
those  who  have  engaged  in  the  Kings  Service  to  be  marked,  those 
who  remain  Prisoners  are  to  be  employed  in  the  Kings  works  as 
usual  and  are  to  be  in  care  of  Lt.  St.  Eloy — such  as  are  with  the 
Hospital  are  to  be  in  charge  of  the  Clerke  of  the  Hospital. 

The  Prisoners  are  to  be  lodged  in  the  great  barn  near  the 
landing  place  at  Lake  George,  where  being  under  charge  of  the 
British  they  will  be  able  to  explain  themselves  and  are  to  be 
humanely  used  and  to  be  under  charge  of  the  Adjutant  Mr. 
Elliot. 

The  Barracks  in  the  Fort  are  to  be  immediately  cleand  out 
by  the  Regiment  of  Prince  Friederick  and  order  to  be  given  to 
have  them  put  into  a  State  of  Repair.  Lt.  Beacroft  is  chargd 
with  the  Repairs  etc.  untill  the  arrival  of  Lt.  Twiss. 

Mr.  Asst.  Commissary  General  Clarke  is  to  take  every  means 
for  supplying  the  Hospital  and  if  possible  the  Troops,  also  with 
fresh  Provisions. 

Orders  By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

The  Prisoners  now  in  the  citadel  of  Ticonderoga  are  to  be 
sent  to  morrow-morning  [after  Guard  mounting]  under  an  Es 
cort  of  Prince  Friedericks  Regt.  to  the  Barn  near  Lake  George, 
where  the  other  Prisoners  are,  they  are  to  be  deliverd  to  Lt.  St. 
Eloy  who  will  grant  a  receipt  for  them. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  177 

A  Subaltern  and  20  men  from  the  62the  Regt.  for  the  Guard 
of  the  Prisoners  till  further  orders,  to  mount  dayly. 

The  Regiment  of  Prince  Friedericks  in  consequance  of  Maj. 
Gen.  Phillips  Orders,  are  immediately  to  clean  out  the  Barracks 
of  the  Citadel,  on  the  Prisoners  having  [leaving?]  them. 

Mr.  Elliot  [  :of  the  Provincials:]  who  has  the  care  of  the 
Prisoners  and  who  has  given  his  Parole  to  remain  till  liberty  is 
given  him  to  return  home  or  be  exchanged — has  Brigadier  Hamil 
ton  Permission  to  live  at  Mr.  Adamsy  or  in  a  hut  or  Tent,  and 
leave  to  walk  from  the  above  mentioned  house  to  the  Barn  where 
the  Prisoners  are  kept. 

***** 

Lt.  St.  Eloy  will  make  a  Muster  of  the  Prisoners  to  morrow 
agreable  to  orders. 

Ticonderoga,  July  3Othe,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Gervas.    C.  S. :  Newcastle. 
Ordres  By  Brigad.  Hamilton. 

The  Prisoners  are  on  ns(  ?)  and  to  be  made  to  work  longer 
than  half  an  hour  before  Sunset,  at  which  hour,  and  in  the  morn 
ing,  the  Officers  and  Non  Commissioned  Officers  of  the  several 
Guards,  where  they  are  kept,  are  to  have  the  Rolls  Calld  and  the 
numbers  carefully  counted — they  are  likewise  to  secure  every 
window  by  which  the  Prisoners  can  make  their  escape  and  fre 
quently  to  examine  the  Prison  during  the  night  as  well  as  the 
Sentries  who  are  never  to  sit  on  their  posts. 

The  Brigadier  is  sorry  to  find  that  from  neglect  and  Inat 
tention,  no  less  than  Seven  Prisoners  have  made  their  escape  in 
two  days. 

Ticonderoga,  July  31  the,  1777. 

Parol:  St.  Basil.     Countersign:  Lyons. 
Order  By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

The  whole  of  Prince  Friederick  Regiment  [  :leaving  the  pres 
ent  Guard  at  Ticonderoga,  which  are  to  be  relievd  as  usual:] 
and  the  Compagny  of  Artillery  to  encamp  on  Mount  Independence 


178  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

to  morrow-morning  at  Six  a  Clock.  The  Quarter  Master  to 
make  out  the  Ground  this  evening  at  5  a  clock.  The  Brigade 
Major  will  shew  it  them. 

The  Company  of  Artillery  and  that  part  of  Prince  Friede- 
ricks  Regiment  on  this  side,  will  get  Batteaux  to  carry  their  bag 
gage  by  applying  to  Lt.  St.  Eloy.  A  Detachement  from  the  Artil 
lery,  sufficient  for  one  Gun  to  be  sent  to  the  top  of  Sugar-Loaf- 
Hill,  from  whence  the  morning  and  evening  Gun  is  to  be  fired. 

The  62the  Regt.  will  send  a  Corporal  and  4  Men  as  a  Guard 
at  the  top  of  said  hill  and  to  be  relievd  every  48  houres,  they  must 
take  a  Tent  with  them. 

Kickmann,  B.  M. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  ist,  1777. 
Parole :  Ferdinand.     C.  S. :  Minden. 

Orders  by  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

The  situation  here,  by  the  many  Guards  on  Prisoners,  Stores 
etc.  will  not  admit  of  fixed  regulations  as  to  Camp  Duties,  which 
Brigadier  Hamilton  begs  that  Colonel  Praetorius  will  dispence 
with  and  make  the  usual  Quarter  Guard  suffice  for  the  whole  and 
to  consist  of  a  Sergeant,  Corporal  and  twelve  men,  who  are  to  be 
posted  on  the  Battery  of  the  right,  and  a  Corporal  with  six  on 
each  of  the  other  two  Batteries. 

The  Guards  are  to  make  use  of  the  Guard  rooms  adjacent  to 
said  works  and  it  is  recommended  that  the  Gentries  have  the 
strictest  Orders  to  be  alert  on  their  Posts. 

Capt.  Bortwick  will  order  ammunition  suitable  to  the  Guns 
on  those  Batteries  and  one  or  two  Gunners,  as  he  can  spare  them, 
to  each  as  those  are  not  meant  to  be  defended  further  than  by 
firing  as  many  Guns  as  it  is  possible  without  risking  being  cut 
off. 

The  Non-Commissioned  Officers  on  said  Posts  must  have 
those  directions  carefully  explaind  to  them  and  on  being  pushd 
to  spike  their  guns  and  tho  the  Regiment,  who  is  already  retired, 
within  the  Stocade  at  the  Barracks,  they  are  immediately  to  fol 
low. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  179 

Captain  Bortwick  will  order  some  grape  for  those  Guns  and 
any  mounted  for  the  defence  of  the  Barracks. 

Prince  Friedericks  Regiment  are  immediately  to  compleat 
their  ammunition  to  One  hundred  Rounds  P  man  to  keep  them 

so,  with  two  good  flints. 

Kickmann,  M.  B. 

Ticonderoga,  August  2the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Mark.    C.  S. :  Canterbury. 
O.  By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

In  case  of  Alarm,  the  62the  Regt.  will  detach  a  Subaltern, 
Sergeant,  Drummer  and  26  Privates  to  the  top  of  Sugar-Loaf- 
Hill. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  3the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Xavier.     C.  S. :  Glamorgan. 
Order  by  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

Capt.  Bortwick  will  commence  to  morrow,  collecting  the 
different  Artillery  Stores  at  Mount  Independence  and  Ticon 
deroga  and  placing  them  agreable  to  Gen.  Phillips  Orders. 

The  following  working  Party  will  parade  every  morning- 
till  the  whole  is  finished,  at  six  6  Clock,  in  the  front  of  the  Artil 
lery  Camp  for  the  above  purpose. 

Detail. 

Serg.  Corp.     Drummer.     Privates. 

Royal  Artillery i                  i                  10 

62the  Regiment   i  10 

Prince  Friedericks i  i                                   20 

Total :  2  Serg.     2  Corp.       i  Dr.         20  Pr. 

A  Subaltern  of  the  Artillery  to  superintend  the  above  Party, 
who  are  to  leave  off  work  about  half  an  hour  before  sunset,  that 
the  Party  from  the  62the  Regiment  may  have  time  to  return  to 
Lake  George. 


180  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

The  Party  from  the  62the  Regt  may  apply  to  Lt.  St.  Eloy 
for  a  Batteaux  to  carry  them  from  the  Saw  mills  to  Mount  Inde 
pendence  and  back  again. 

States  to  be  given  on  every  Monday  to  the  Brigade  Major— 
from  the  two  Regiments,  Company  of  Artillerie  and  the  Officer 
who  has  charge  of  the  Convalescents. 

By  the  orders  of  His  Excellency  Sir  Guy  Carleton  Lt.  Dam- 
bourgesse  of  the  Emigrants,  has  charge  of  the  Canadians  on  Cor- 
vees. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  4the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Adelaide.    C.  S. :  Carnarvon. 

Brigadier  Hamilton  cannot  longer  see  the  distresses  dayly 
occasioned  by  the  intemperance  of  those  men  recovering  from 
dangerous  wounds  without  being  affected,  not  only  on  their  own 
accounts  but  that  of  the  Public. 

Out  of  the  Justice  to  both  and  most  particularly  to  the  Med 
ical  Faculty  to  whome  so  much  praise  is  due,  The  Brigadier 
Orders,  that  spirituous  liquors  of  no  kind  be  Vended  on  Mount  In 
dependence,  and  that  no  Convalescent  be  sufferd  to  pass  to  Ticon 
deroga,  excepting  a  number  sufficient,  with  any  assistance,  thought 
requisite  by  Lt.  Naylor  of  the  62the  Regiment,  for  carrying  in 
Batteaux  the  Spruce  for  those  who  have  liberty  to  drink  it.  The 
Two  Hospital  Carts  it  is  expectd  will  make  this  easy  and  save 
the  weak  from  much  Fatigue,  and  to  prevent  Complaints  from  the 
Settlers  near  Mount  Independence,  the  Centrys  of  Prince  Fried- 
ericks  Regiment  are  to  suffer  no  one  to  go  beyond  their  limits 
without  a  pass. 

All  Officers  Servants  and  those  attending  the  Gentlemen  of 
the  Hospital  may  have  them  that  Vegetables  and  on  being  paid 
for  may  be  procured. 

The  Major  of  Brigade  will  give  the  form  of  the  pass,  which 
is  to  be  wrote  in  German  and  English,  and  to  be  signed  by  Lt. 
Colonel  Praetorius  of  Prince  Friedericks  Regiment. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  181 

Form  of  the  Pass. 

Mount  Independence          1777- 

The  Bearer Servant  to 

has  leave  to  pass  the  Gentries. 

Lt.  Colonel. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  5the  1777. 
Parole :  St.  James.    C.  S. :  Bristol. 

None  of  the  huts  between  the  old  Fort  of  Ticonderoga  and 
the  French  Lines  on  any  account  to  be  pulld  down,  as  they  are 
intended  for  use. 

Any  Inhabitants  near  these  Posts  that  harbours  strangers  in 
their  houses,  without  acquainting  the  Commanding  Officer  will 
be  punished. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  6the,  1777. 

Parole :  St.  Joseph.    C.  S. :  Polton. 

A  Subaltern  from  62the  Regt.  to  come  up  to  the  Barracks  at 
Mount  Independence  this  afternoon  about  5  o  Clock,  to  receive 
from  Lt.  Nailor  some  Convalescents,  whome  he  is  to  take  charge 
of  as  far  as  Fort  George,  from  whence  they  will  be  forwarded  by 
another  Subaltern  to  the  Army.  The  Officer  will  call  on  the 
Brigade  Major  for  his  instructions  as  he  passes  to  the  Mount. 

No  Prisoner  to  be  releavd  that  is  in  charge  of  any  Guard 
without  the  Brigadiers  Orders  or  thro'  his  Brigade  Major. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  7the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Lucree.     C.  S. :  Burton. 

The  Rolls  of  the  Convalescents  to  be  calld  Twice  a  day  and 
not  one  of  them  sufferd  to  go  out  of  the  Barracks  after  Gunfiring 
at  Sunset  the  German  Gentries  to  have  Orders  accordingly. 

The  Officers  Servants  are  excepted. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  8the,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  Anne.    C.  S. :  Biggleswade. 

The  Brigadier  is  not  willing  to  put  a  stop  to  the  only  amuse 
ment  the  Gentlemen  can  have  in  a  place  like  this,  viz.  Shooting — 


1 82  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

but  as  there  is  plenty  of  time  thro'  the  day  for  that  diversion, 
begs  there  may  be  no  firing  before  Sunrise  or  after  Sunset,  as  it 
is  contrary  to  all  Rule — No  body  to  go  beyond  the  Gunboats  in 
the  Creek,  or  the  Shipping  at  the  other  end  of  the  Mount. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  Qthe,  1777. 
Parole :  St.  David.    C.  S. :  Conway. 

Orders  By  Brigadier  Hamilton. 

The  number  of  men  able  to  move  from  the  Hospital  and  Con 
valescents  wards,  renders  it  almost  impossible  for  one  Officer  to 
attend  to  them  as  he  ought — that  of  seeing  their  Barracks  clean 
and  swept  out  by  ten  in  the  morning,  with  Parades  and  other 
necessary  avocations  will  be  duty  sufficient — which  with  the  aid 
of  the  convalescent  Officers  of  the  different  Regiments  able  to 
move  could,  by  the  knowledge  of  their  own  men,  contribute  much 
to  augmenting  the  Army. 

By  giving  health  to  those  that  wish  to  rob  themselves  of  it 
and  preventing  the  waste  of  Necessaries,  which  undoubtedly  must 
happen  where  no  pay  is  given  to  supply  the  immediate  calls  of 
that  poison  so  prevalent  at  present. 

Brigadier  Hamilton  cannot  exact  this  of  Gentlemen  who 
have  and  now  suffers  so  much,  all  he  means  is,  that  from  the  con 
sciousness  of  the  spirit  that  has  distinguished  this  Army,  every 
individual  in  his  belief  wishes  but  to  be  put  in  the  way  of  doing 
his  utmost. 

Ticonderoga,  Aug.  lithe,  1777. 

Parole :  St.  Mathias.    C.  S. :  Penzance. 

The  Kings  horses  on  no  account  to  be  used  except  for  the 

public  Service. 

After  Orders. 

The  Regiment  of  Prince  Frederick  is  immediately  to  releive 
the  Cattle  guard,  consisting  of  a  Corporal  and  Four  men,  as  the 
62the  Regiment  are  under  Orders  to  join  the  Army. 

Kickmann,  Maj.  Br. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  183 

Ordres. 

Quebec,  ce  4  me  d'Aout  1776. 

Les  Officiers  commandants  des  Corps  auront  un  Soin  par- 
ticulier  d'informer  tous  ceux,  qui  sont  sous  leurs  Ordres,  que  les 
lettres  ou  messages  des  Rebelles  ne  doivent  point  etre  regus, 
come  venans  des  traitres,  qui  ont  pris  les  armes  contre  le  Roi, 
des  Seditieux,  des  perturbateurs  du  repos  public,  des  pillards,  des 
Voleurs,  d'assassins  ou  des  meurtriers.  Que  si  des  Emissaires  de 
tels  hommes,  qui  ne  sont  plus  sous  la  protection  des  loix,  pre- 
tendent  encore  approche  Tarmee,  meme  sous  les  noms  de  Parla- 
mentaires  ou  d'  ambassadeurs  (a  1'exception  de  ceux,  qui  vien- 
draient  pour  implorer  la  Grace  du  Roi)  ils  seront  aussitot  pris  et 
mis  en  prison,  pour  etre  poursuivis  en  justice,  suivant  la  rigeur 
des  loix.  Que  leurs  papiers  ou  lettres,  pour  qui  que  ce  puisse  etre, 
meme  pour  le  Commandant  en  Chef,  seront  delivres  au  Prevot 
de  Tarmee,  qui  sans  les  lire  et  les  ouvrir,  les  fera  brules  par  le 
main  du  Bourreau. 

Le  Commandant  en  Chef  croit  cependant,  que  ni  Tassassinat 
du  Brigadier-General  Gordon,  ni  les  dernier  manquement  de  foi, 
conne  de  tous,  en  refusant  de  rendre  les  troupes  et  les  Canadiens 
pris  a  St.  Jean,  en  exchange  de  leur  rebels,  qui  ont  etc  pris  par 
les  Sauvages  aux  Cedres  et  a  Quinchin,  racheter  d'Eux  a  grand 
pris  et  rendus  a  leur  patrie,  sous  cette  expresse  condition,  ne  doi 
vent  point  etre  attribues  aux  Provinciaux  mentier :  mais  a  quel- 
ques  peus  d'hommes  mal  intentiones  et  mediants,  qui  aiant  com 
mence  a  les  tromper,  ont,  petit  a  petit,  conduit  la  populace  credule 
a  sa  ruine,  apres  avoir  usurpe  sur  eux  Tautorite,  etabli  une  tiran- 
nie  absolue,  qui  ne  peut  etre  toloree.  Et  done  1'impudence  et  la 
frenesie  ont  occasione  1'effusion  du  sang  de  nos  malhereux  com- 
patriotes  dans  ce  continent  dans  1'esperance  de  couvrir  leurs  fautes 
ou  d'etablir  leur  tirannie  sur  la  ruine  entiere  des  leur  pais.  Que 
les  remords  du  Crime  accompagnent  tou  jours  ces  per  fides,  hom 
mes  sanguinaires,  qui  soutinnent  que  le  noir  est  blanc  et  le  blanc 
noir.  II  est  de  1'honneur  de  la  Nation  Britannique  de  se  distin- 
guer  autant  par  son  humanite  que  par  sa  Valeur.  II  est  de  la 
Gloire  des  troupes  du  Roi  d'epargne  le  sang  de  ses  Sujets  trompes, 


184  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

dont  la  plus  grande  faute,  peutetre,  est  de  s'etre  laisse  conduire 
par  de  tels  hommes  a  leurs  ruine. 

II  est  de  1'honneur  de  la  Couronne  et  il  est  le  devoir  de  tous 
les  fideles  Serviteurs  du  Roi  de  sauver  de  1'oppression  et  de  rendre 
a  la  liberte  le  peuple  de  ce  continant,  autrefois  heureux,  libre  et 
fidel. 

Tous  les  prissoniers  des  Provinces  rebelles,  qui  choississent 
de  retourner  chez  eux,  se  tiendront  prets  a  s'embarquer  au  premier 
avertissement. 

Le  Commissaire  Mr.  Murray  visitera  les  Transports,  qui 
leurs  seront  destinees  et  ferra  a  ces,  que  des  bonnes  provisions, 
les  habits  necissaires  et  toutes  autres  commodites,  pour  leur  pas 
sage  soient  prepares  pour  ces  hommes  malheureux;  leurs  differ- 
entes  provinces  seront  leurs  prisons  et  ils  y  resteront,  jusqu'  a  ce 
qu'ils  soient  elargis  de  nouveau  ou  qu'ils  soient  sommes  de  paroi- 
tre  devant  le  Commandant  en  Chef  de  cette  Province,  ou  devant 
tout  autre  Commandants  en  Chef  pour  Sa  Majeste  alors  aux  quel- 
les  Sommations  ils  obeiront. 

Le  General  Howe  ordonnera  le  lieu  de  leur  debarquement. 

Guy  Carleton. 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 
[TABLES.] 


185 


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1 86  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Wehrt  nach 

Miintz-Sorten.  Halifax  Courant. 

£.     Sh.     P. 

1.  Portugiesische. 

2      40  Rees-Stuecke  7 J 

i      50      "          "        4J 

1  80      "          "        7* 

2  100  9 

2    200      "         "       a  1  sh  6  P 3 

i    400      "  3 

2.  New-England. 

6  Shilling,  Massachusets-Bay  vom  Jahr  1652  a  9  P 4        6 

3.  Italienische. 

Due  Carlini  Romani   i 

Hollaendischen    Gulden    I 

Species-Thaler  v.  Marie  Theresia 5 

Braunschweigisch    5 

Braunschweigischen  Gulden   2        6 

Bayerisch.  Species  Thaler  5 

Spanische. 
i.  In  den  Bergwerken  von  Potosi  geschlagen. 

Pezza  da  Otto,  Stueck  v.  Achten,  Piaster,  8  Reales   5 

"       halber,  4  Reales    2        6 

viertel,  2  Reales   i        3 

achtel,  i  Real 7* 

"      He,  1A  Real  3i 

2.  de  Plata  Mexicana. 
(a) 

i  Pezza  da  Otto,  Stueck  v.  Achten,  Pilaren,  Mexicane,  8  Reales  5 

i          "     halber,  4  Reales    2  6 

1  "     viertel,  2  Reales   i  3 

2  "     achtel,  i  Real   i  3 

7  "     %e,  #  Real  2  2 

(b)  de  Plata  Mexicana  mit  dem  Brustbilde  des  Koenigs. 

I     Piaster,  8  Reales  5 

I          "        halber,  4  Reales   2  6 

i          "        viertel,  2  Reales   i  3 

i          "        achtel,  i  Real   7* 

6         "       Me,  V*  Real  i  loi 

i          "          "    "      "      ,  3  3* 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  187 

(a)  3.  de  Plata  Provinciala. 

£    Sh.    P. 

Piaster,  8  Reales  4 

"        halbe,  4  Reales   2 

viertel,  2  Reales   I 

"        mit  geschlung.  Nahmen  Phil.  V I 

von  Carl  III,  nachher  Carl  VI I 

achtel  od.  I  Real   6 

4    YIQ  oder  l/2  Real i 

de  Plata  Provinciala  mit  dem  Brustbilde  des  Konigs. 

i     Piaster,  8  Reales  4 

i     halber,  4  Reales    2 

i          "       viertel,  2  Reales   I 

i          "       achtel,  i  Real 6 

Englisches. 
i     gantze  Crown  v.  Karl  II 5        6 

4  halbe          "      Jacob  II,  William  III,  George  II n 

1  "  "      v.  William  und  Maria 

5  Shilling  v.  Carl  II,  William  III,  Anne 3        3 

2  Sixpence  von  Georg  II  

I  Threepence  v.  Carl  II 3 

i     Twopence  v.  Georg  II   2 

II. 

Franzoesisches. 

4    grosse    Laub-Thaler    I        2 

4  halbe    Laub-Thaler    n 

I     ein  Livres  Stuecke  v.  Louis  XIV 10 

1  "    v.  Louis  XV  10 

2  Isles   du   Vent 10 

Kupfer. 

i  russisches  10  Kopecken  Stueck  i 

i  Spanisch  6  Rees   Stueck i 

i  Skilling   Danske    $ 

1  Portugiesisch  5  Rees  Stueck i 

3  Englische  Halfpenny's   li 

10  Irrlaendische                   5 

10  engl.    Farthing's    2\ 

2  Virginische   Halfpenny's    I 

I 1  Franzoes.  Sols  5i 

2  Colonies    Francoises    I 

1  Spanisch.  4  Rees-Stueck \ 

2  Halfpenny's  v.  Carl  II   I 

2    Franzoesische   Sols    I 


1 88  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder 

Gold. 

f  Sh      P 

5  Hollaend.  Ducaten  a  10  Sh 2  10 

i     Spanisch.  Doublon  i  16 

i     l/2  Spanisch.  Doublon  oder  Pistole 18 

i    Achtel  "        "         9 

1  M«  "        "  4        6 

2  viertel  Moed'ors  a  7  sh.  6P 15 

i    ^ie  Portugais  a  5  sh 5 

1  Viertel  Guinea  von  George  I  5      19 

2  Halber  Portugais  76  4 

i  "          77  2 

i  Moed'or   i  iO 

3  Franzoes.  Louis  d'or  a  22/6P 3  7        6 

7  Guineas  a  23/4? 8  3        4 

6  Halbe  dito  a  n/8 3  i0 

6  dito,  dito  a  1 1/8 3  10 

Orignal,    Rennthier, 

Rehe  Baeren 

Hirsche  Woelfe 

Dam  Hirsch 

Caribouc 

Hasen  Pekang 

Fuechse,  schwarze,  silber,  gold  oder  ordinaire 

Marder,  Baum,  Stein,  Nordische 

wilde  Katze,  Rakounen,  Enfant  de  Diable 

Eichhoerner,  4  Sorten,  fliegende 

Hasemaeuse,  braun  mit  schwarzen  Streifen  (Suisse) 

Murmelthier,  Sifleur 

N.  B.    Der  Silberfuchs  klettert  auf  die  Baeume,  der  Goldfuchs  aber  nicht. 

In  Canada 

Capillaire  haeufig  und  schoen  Strawberry's  Erdbeeren,  Fraises 

Serpentaria  Rasberry's  Himbeeren,  Framboises 

Sassaparilla  Blackberry's  Brombeeren, 

Kl.  Rothe  Kirsche,  Billberry's  Heidelbeeren,  Gueule  noir 

Traubenkirsche,  wie  in  Deutschland 

Cerises  en  Grappes  wohlriechende  Himbeeren  Framboises 

Der  Goldfish  (Poisson  d'ore)  odoriferantes 

der  Silberfish       -       -       d'argente)          Belloys,  eine  blaue  Beere  fast  wie  die 
der  Masquinonge  Heidelbeere,    doch    innwendig    weiss, 

der  Hecht  nicht  roth, 

die  Karpe  Alose  (Shad) 

der  Alaender  Chepea  Cinn :  eine  Art  grosser  Heer- 

die  Queche  inge 

der  Stoer  der  Lachs,  im  Lorentz  Fluss,  unter- 

der  Aal       Weissfisch  halb  Quebec 

Achignan  blanc 
-    -    -     yerd 

Male  Achignan  (Brun)  Sheepshead 


Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder  189 


der  Bers 

die  Quabbe  (Barbot)   Catfish) 

(Barbue) 

die  Karutsche — Sunfish,  poisson  arme 

Krebse — Neunaug,  Lampret 

die  Wasser  Eidechse  ohngefehr  I  Fuss  lang. 

der  grosse  Frosch  (Bull  frog)    (Ouawarong)    (Belard) 

die  Schildkroete 

die  Wasser  Schlange 

die  Rat-musquee 

Otter,  eine  kl.  Art. 


Die  Becassine,  Bachsteltze,  alouette 
12  Arten  Endten 

weisse  Fisch-Reiher 
der  Taucher 

Gaense  an  den  Lacs 

Kropf-Gans 

die  Canadier  nennen  alle  wilden  Gaense  falsch,  Outardes. 


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X; 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


